The Thing About Forever
by godblessthefandom
Summary: Brittany would give Santana anything, but the one thing that she wants. Paranormal! Brittana AU Completed
1. The Thing About Beginnings

Author's Note: Follow me on Tumblr ( .com) or early updates to this story and all others. The next day I'll post them here with probably not a small amount of editing. Rated M for future smut.

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Santana Lopez is not normal. This is just a fact and it resonates on a deep level with her. Yeah, she had a rough childhood, and an odd adulthood, and she gravitates towards people she shouldn't, and likes people with the 'wrong' type of genitalia… But, more than that, she's odd. She always makes sure to leave the closet door in her bedroom open a crack, and has never had a marshmallow. She's definitely one of the weird ones. She doesn't mind, though. It's what got her her podcast Santana Lopez is Not Normal (broadcasting every weekend evening on the Paranormal Podcast Network), and enough advertising revenue to help pay some of the bills, and her producer and co-host/sidekick. Hell, she even got an intern that year. Things were weird but good.

So, she was weird. That was normal for her. But it didn't quite explain why she, her associate Rachel, and intern Jane, were sitting in front of an eight floor walkup in Queens, in a van that they borrowed from her producer. It didn't really explain how they'd been sitting in front of the building for two hours. Waiting for a certain bow tie wearing bozo to arrive. Or maybe it did, the jury was still out.

Santana sighed and sank lower into the driver's seat. The three of them had been waiting for someone that they weren't sure was coming, but they had to wait on regardless, and waiting for what seemed like hours. Now she was bored. She looked in the vanity mirror. Deep brown eyes stared back at her. Smooth amber skin highlighted by her new favorite blush and almost blue black hair flowed around her shoulders. She didn't bother looking any lower. The chilly night air had made a thick sweatshirt necessary, and no one could really appreciate the curves she'd worked so hard at maintaining in the gym except someone who knew they were already there. She sighed, and flipped the mirror back up with a thud.

This caught the attention of her two companions; Jane shifting uncomfortably in the backseat, and Rachel crossing her arms and huffing loudly.

Rachel reminded Santana of a young Barbra Streisand, though she'd never heard tell of Barbra being unbelievably annoying, so she supposed Rachel had figured that part on her own. It had only been fifteen minutes prior that Santana was asking her to stop practicing her scales in the stuffy vehicle. Well, not exactly asked. Threatened with bodily harm was slightly more accurate.

But if you had asked Santana, Rachel had been steadily ramping up the annoying behavior for the past hour and a half. First it was what could only be described as howling mouth stretches, next she spent about twenty minutes doing something she referred to as 'warming up her diaphragm'. Santana only had to look at Jane in the rearview mirror once to know that the other young woman was dying too, but just didn't feel comfortable enough to say anything.

If Rachel was Barbra, then Jane was Diana Ross. All cool, composed and flawless. Dean Figgins, chair of the communications department at her alma mater, NYU, had called Santana up, charming her with sweet words about how popular her podcast is, and how he listens to it every weekend, and how it's really her responsibility to help, 'foster the creators of tomorrow', or some bologna like that. And three weeks later Jane was knocking on her office door (well, office was a strong word, it was more like the basement of Artie's mom's house). Santana was pissed at first. Royally pissed, actually, but after a few days she had seen the value in having a buffer between herself and Rachel, and Jane could make a mean cup of coffee, so she let her stay on. And today was glad for it, because the intern was the only person keeping her from bounding across the console and strangling her assistant.

Rachel cleared her throat loudly.

Snapping her attention back to the front seat, Santana didn't bother looking over. "What is it, Rachel?"

"Well." Rachel replied, through gritted teeth. "I was just wondering if it was okay for me to talk now."

Santana sighed, gritting her own teeth in return. "You could always talk, Hobbit. I'm just not going to listen to your stupid, off key singing the whole night. If I'm going to be stuck in Artie's van, which is already going to have my hair smelling like Fritos for a week, by the way, I demand that it be in absolute silence. Maybe broken by the faint sounds of a radio."

Rachel had a scandalized look on her face, and could only open and close her mouth a few times like a guppy before taking a deep breath.

"OFF KEY?!"

Santana rolled her eyes and looked back out the window, waiting for the waterfall of words that would soon follow.

She was not disappointed.

"I will have you know that not only do I have absolute pitch, a trait limited to about .01% of the entire human population, but my choir teacher, one, Signore Nuzio Pavarotti, cousin to famed operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti, said, and I quote, "Signorina Berry has one of the top five ear's in the world.", and I assure you that he wasn't talking about the one on the side of my head. Well, technically he was, but his deeper meaning was that-"

"I see him."

Jane's calm voice broke through Rachel's near hysterical one, and she and Santana both looked towards the apartment they were supposed to be watching.

They couldn't have missed him if they wanted to. Blaine Anderson had to be one of the loudest dressers in the city that wasn't a drag queen. He had his dark hair slicked back with hair gel, and his skin, the color of fresh sawdust, stood in sharp contrast to the bright purples and blues that composed the plaid of his button up shirt/vest combo.

They watched him walk towards his door, a spring in his step. Santana didn't have to hear him to know he was singing. That's one thing he and Berry had in common. They both had weird boners for musicals all the time. Santana liked them as well (not that she'd ever tell Rachel that), but at least she wasn't going around singing them like some kind of lunatic.

As he walked up the steps and approached the door, Santana made her move, opening the car door, and slipping onto the street, taking three or four big steps, and then racing up after him. She could hear Jane and Rachel follow suit, albeit more loudly.

Blaine turned at their approach and his eyes grew wide when he saw Santana so close behind him.

She placed a hand over his mouth before he could react.

"Aw, Blaine, not happy to see us?"

Blaine could only muffle his reply.

"Santana, you don't have to scare him half to death." Rachel scolded.

Ignoring Rachel, Santana nodded towards the front door.

"Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Blaine rolled his eyes, and nodded towards the door with his head.

"Good boy. Let's make ourselves comfortable, ladies. Blaine here has got some explaining to do."

\

Brittany Pierce hated waiting. She hated waiting for Halloween. She hated waiting for her birthday. She hated waiting for the little hand to get to the big hand which meant that the ice cream shop near the duck pond was finally open, and she could have some double fudge gelato. She hated it.

Actually, in her life, there were few things that she hated. She normally had a pretty sunny disposition, and her friend Puck used to say that if it were raining, all she had to do was turn her smile towards the sky, and the clouds would clear right away. Puck was like that, always waxing poetical. He was always talking about her hair that's as bright as a sunflower, and her eyes as blue as the sky on a crystal clear day. She smiled at the thought, then turned to the man standing next to her, who was leaned up against a wall. Instead of her cuddly, teddy bear, he was focused hard on the door they were facing, his mouth set in a rough line. His muscles tight and rippling under skin the color of sandpaper and just as rough. His mohawk was bright red today, and he kept running his hands up the sides to make sure it maintained its peak.

She probably would have teased him for it, but it was clear he was nervous, though Brittany wasn't sure why. They'd dealt with this particular 'problem' at least a half a dozen times before. And though they were under strict orders not to kill their target (a directive Brittany had no problem following), it was easy enough to put a good scare into him, and send him running off in another direction.

And that's all they were there to do now. Which is why Brittany didn't get Puck's nervousness.

True, they were sitting in his apartment, which is someplace that they hadn't been before. Brittany dragged her eyes across the darkened room, searching for a moment of distraction that would keep her mind off the waiting. It was late (much later than they thought they'd have to wait for him to arrive), and the lights of the cars from the streets below provided the only illumination in the darkness. The silence of the their little welcome party had only been broken so far by the steady cold wind that whipped through the streets below, and Brittany's aborted attempt to start Row Your Boat sung in a round. His apartment was filled to the brim with stuff. Stack after stack of papers, books, and knick knacks threatened to topple over at any second. Walking over to the nearest stack, she pulled the book off the top. The Case for the Loch Ness Monster. She sighed, turning the book over in her hands, she'd been to Loch Ness long before any of the 'sightings' happened. There was nothing under there but some fish and the occasional old boot.

Placing the book back on the stack she walked to stand beside Tina, who was perched on the arm of a nearby couch. She'd never been that close to Tina, but with Puck about to burst a blood vessel (ironic!), she figured the other woman might prove to be a good distraction. As she walked towards her, Tina looked at Brittany with surprise for a moment, then her eyes narrowed a bit.

Puck liked to call her his "little China doll", which Brittany was pretty sure was racist, because Tina was Korean. Regardless, she had a timeless beauty, and if she weren't so prickly all the time, Brittany could have enjoyed whiling away the hours finding ways to bring a smile to her lips. Or a moan. Whichever.

"What?" Tina said, her voice low and her tone short.

"I'm bored." Whined Brittany, stretching her arms high, and letting them flop down to her sides.

"Then go read a book or something. We're supposed to be waiting on him to show up, not playing on the merry go round."

"There's a merry go round?"

Brittany was joking, but there was no way that Tina would have caught on to that. So, she just turned back to Puck as Tina sighed exasperatedly behind her.

"Puuuuuuck." She moaned, using her fingers to march up his back.

He didn't bother to turn around.

"Britt, this is not the time."

"I don't get it. Why are you two wound up so tight? We've done this a million times."

"Never in his house before, B. And Sue made it clear that she didn't want to hear from him again for a long time. We've got to really scare him good. I don't know why she won't just let us kill him."

Puck's last words were muttered, and full of annoyance.

"What, Puck, you think she's going soft?" Tina's voice was so low it was almost a growl. It was also a little accusatory.

"Sue? No way." Puck said quickly. "I just would rather deal with him once and for all."

"Sue said don't kill him. So we don't." Tina replied with some degree of finality.

That put the kibosh on that conversation, so Brittany turned towards the nearby bookshelf, running her fingers over the pages. She figured Sue had sent Tina along to make sure that she and Puck didn't screw up, not that they needed a babysitter. Brittany had always been able to keep Puck in check, but if Tina wanted to tag along, Brittany was glad for the company.

Her fingers stopped on another book, the title intriguing her. In Search of Stoker's Dracula: The Case for the Proto Vampyre by William M. Schuester. Brittany whispered the name aloud. Pulling the book from the shelf, she opened it up and rifled through the pages. Laughing low to herself, she chose one particular paragraph and turned back towards her friends.

"The modern vampyre is one of the most misunderstood phenomenon in pop culture. Long before Twilight, these creatures of the night…" Brittany paused to giggle softly.

"These creatures of the night were seen as the worst nightmares of humanity. Now they are lauded, praised, and loved by millions. Have we, as a human race, fallen so far that we cannot see the danger in front of our very eyes? Have we become so blind that we would allow our demons to overtake us? Are we so idiotic as to allow the basest of god's creation to become our overlords?"

Puck grinned. "Say what you want about the old boy, but he's certainly got an ear for the dramatic."

"Half the stuff in this book is inaccurate. The other half is just plain silly. I wonder why Sue cares about this guy."

This seemed to pique Tina's interest, and she turned around where she sat and held a hand out.

"Lemme take a look."

As Brittany was walking towards her to hand the book over, she stopped suddenly in her tracks, one foot still raised halfway in the air. Her head tilted slightly to the side, as she pointed her ear towards the apartment door.

"He's coming. He just got off the elevator."

That gave them about fifteen seconds before he got to his door, and they scrambled to get into position before he came in.

Exactly fifteen seconds later they could all hear the key scraping the lock, being inserted, and the tumblers turning, as the door was unlocked. Not a soul breathed as the door swung open towards them.

\

"Blaine, you're just making this harder on yourself." Santana purred, leaning over Blaine as he sat in the armchair.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Please, Santana, you know your attempts at seduction are wasted on me."

"I wasn't talking about kissing you. I was talking about kicking your a-"

"Santana. A word?"

Santana slowly rolled her eyes to Rachel, who was standing nearby, clutching her hands behind her back.

"A moment, Mr. Anderson. Jane, why don't you come over and keep him company?"

Jane nodded, and bounced over, her huge curls waving and bouncing right along with her. Santana had to give it to her intern, she was doing pretty well. This was the first time she'd taken her with her on a shakedown, and honestly, she was holding her own.

Santana walked away from Blaine where he sat in a spinning office chair she'd pulled to the middle of the room. Rachel grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a hallway towards the bathroom.

"What the hell, Berry? I could see the sweat dripping on his forehead. He's going to crack."

"Might I suggest, Santana, that the old adage is true now more than ever. You really do catch more flies with honey, rather than vinegar, and if we're going to discover the truth behind this mysterious artifact, which may or may not be in Blaine's possession-"

"The point, hobbit. Would you please get to it?"

Rachel sighed. "Why don't you let me take the lead on this one? I don't want to get dragged down to the police station, and have to explain to my dads why I need them to come and bail me out again. My daddy still calls me his little jailbird, and my dad won't stop singing Jailhouse Rock every time I make the drive upstate."

Santana scoffed. "We'll be long gone before any police arrive, and I have some rope down in the car, we can totally-"

"I am not adding kidnapping to the list of offenses that we might commit tonight."

Rachel crossed her arms and set her jaw, and Santana knew that arguing with her on this point would only waste more of her time, and make her even more annoyed than she felt at that moment, which was pretty annoyed.

"Fine, we'll do it your way, Berry, but if you screw this up, I'm taking over." Santana dragged her thumb under her nostril, sniffing loudly.

Rachel didn't respond, but brushed past her, and back into the living room.

"Are you finished talking about me now? Would you please get out of my apartment?" Blaine looked between the women fiercely, but the quiver in his voice told Santana how unnerved he was to have them in his house.

"Soon enough, very soon, Mr. Anderson. Blaine. Can I call you Blaine?" Rachel asked, dragging another chair over to the middle of the room where Blaine still sat.

"Fine whatever."

"Well, Blaine, I know that we've had our little disagreements from time to time…"

"Right." quipped Blaine, tossing his perfectly coiffed head in annoyance. "Like the time Santana let all the air out of my tires as I was on my way to talk to the president of the ancient aliens society?"

"Oh, is that right, Warbler?" Santana advanced on Blaine, and was caught by Jane, mid-stride. "That's only because you called Jon Blankenship, only the world's foremost expert on the Planet X theory, claiming to be my assistant, and then faxed him a ten page diatribe on how much I think he sucks. He canceled on me, Hair gel, and it took months for me to convince him that I wasn't responsible for that!"

Blaine seemed to be smiling happily at the memory, and incensed, Santana lunged again, almost breaking free from Jane's grasp. He yelped, and jumped up from his chair, crouching behind Rachel.

"Fine, Rachel, call off your attack hound, and I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"

Santana actually snarled at the insult, and renewed her attempts to get to Blaine.

Rachel only smiled knowingly. "Santana, enough."

Santana didn't seem to notice, and tried to lunge again, nearly knocking over a nearby coffee table.

"I said, enough!"

Santana's eyes lost their focus on Blaine, and turned towards Rachel. "Last I checked, Berry, the show was named after me. Which makes me your boss. Which means I give the orders."

"Since I'm your cohost, we're more like co-captains on the sea of life, but Blaine is going to tell us what we want to know, so there's no need for all of this aggression."

Santana rolled her eyes, and sighed deeply. She put her hands up in surrender, and flopped down on the couch.

"What have you got, bowtie?"

Realization dawned on Blaine's face. "Oh, I get it now! Good cop/Bad cop! I can't believe I fell for the oldest trick in the book!"

Rachel smiled softly. "I'd get to it, Blaine, before Santana starts to feel bored. You don't want to know what she gets up to when there's nothing else to do."

Blaine looked back at Rachel, her smile all teeth, and gulped loudly.

"Fine, then. What do you want to know?"

"What are you after?" Santana was the first to throw up a question, and while Rachel wouldn't have wanted Blaine to know how much they didn't know it seemed as good a place to start as any.

Blaine grimaced. "How do you know I'm after something?"

"Because," Santana said slowly, as if she were talking to a small child. "You've been bragging about it all week on that stupid website of yours, and now we have an intern who will sift through all the dreg there, and come up with something actually useful. There's not much."

Jane seemed happy for the acknowledgment and nodded enthusiastically.

"Dregs?" Blaine stood up quickly. "I'll have you know that the messages boards are where the best of fans of Warbler's Wonders, or Warblerinos, as I like to call them, can meet and discuss-"

"Can it, helmet hair, and tell us what you're up to."

Blaine huffed, stomping back over to his chair. "Well, what do you think your enlightened SLINN listeners would do if they found out you were jacking upstanding reporters for your stories?"

"Reporter?" Santana scoffed. "That's a strong word for what it is you do!"

Rachel put up a hand before the conversation could get any more off track. "Blaine, details, please. We only want to offer our insight in what might be a tough case to solve. If the rumors are any indication."

"Fine." Blaine relented. "I was in the stacks of the New York Public Library doing some research on a new story. I've heard that there's been an uptick in vampire activity in the last six months or so."

"Where'd you hear that?" Santana interrupted.

"I've got my sources. I'd started doing some research and the dates correlate with a huge upswing in vampire sightings at the beginning of the 20th century. So, I was in the archives, and found some really cool books detailing the library's construction, and this led me to some blueprints of the library from when it opened in 1911."

"I've heard of that. Those 1909 attacks, I mean. A bunch of orphans and prostitutes out in the Bronx went missing, and some of the witnesses said they saw folks with glowing eyes or some other nonsense."

Blaine nodded quickly, both he and Santana enjoying a moment of solidarity over being history nerds.

"Anyway, so one of the books mentions a relic that can be used in the fight against vampires. It was discovered by Karl Kresnick in Croatia in the winter of 1889, and then lost after his mysterious death in 1902."

"Who's Karl Kresnick?" Jane wondered aloud, to no one in particular.

"He was a Serbian vampire hunter. He wrote a lot of long ass novels about his research. Some of it was worth something, a lot of it was not. But he didn't seem to be as full of shit as some of the other charlatans who got into the vampire hunting scene during the late 19th/ early 20th century."

"Santana." Blaine interrupted with an annoyed tone. "The works that survived from Kresnick have given us the most insight that we've had since-"

"Let's just move on with the story, huh Bowtie?"

Blaine grimaced and cleared his throat. "Anyway, Kresnick passed on the relic to one of his cousins who was going to the US to work in the family business, and that cousin wrote back to him in 1903, not knowing he had died the year before. I found a copy of the letter, and it mentions the relic in amazing detail."

"And how in the world was the result of all this you, in the basement of the main branch of the New York Public Library, looking at blueprints?" Rachel asked, her face a question mark.

"The family business was construction. The Kresnicks were well known for building magnificent structures back in the Old Country, and then they came to the New Country, and continued the family trade."

"So you think that Cousin Kresnick put the relic in the library when he was building it?"

"It's not the craziest thing you've ever heard, is it, Santana? He wanted to keep it safe from vampires, who are known as being pretty wily. Why wouldn't you put something that you know they're searching for someplace where they'd never think to look?"

Santana didn't reply, furrowing her brow and considering Blaine carefully.

"Did you find it?" Rachel squeaked, leaning forward slightly in her chair.

Blaine tugged at his bow tie hopelessly. "Not yet. The blueprints didn't have anything out of the ordinary. It's a huge building. Without some idea of where to start, it would take me years to search every nook and cranny."

Santana patted his arm. "And that's where we come in, Mr. Warbler. We will be your designated dream team. And when the relic is found, by us, of course, we'll do a week of shows about it on SLINN, and then share that research with you."

Blaine balked. "Are you kidding me, Santana? There's no way I'm letting you take credit for this! I did all the leg work!"

"Now Santana, Blaine…" began Rachel, calmingly.

"You know what Rachel? I think that even letting him have it after we're done is being way too accommodating."

"You can't do this, Santana!" Shouted Blaine.

"You've already told us all we need to know, Blaine-y boy. If the question is who's going to find it first, you don't even have to break out your wallet to make that bet. We're better than you on our worst day."

Seeing it was pointless to argue, Blaine crossed his arms in a huff. "We'll see about that."

"Yup, we'll see."

Santana pulled Artie's keys out of her pocket, twirling them around on her finger. And walked towards the door, turning back in the door way.

"Let's go ladies, we've got a date with an ancient relic."

Jane made a move to follow Santana, but Rachel only stood and stopped in front of Blaine.

"Blaine, I'll have you know that I don't support this kind of duplicity. If we find the relic first-"

"When." interrupted Santana.

"If." Rachel repeated, cutting her eyes to Santana. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you have equal access and broadcasting privileges."

Blaine's eyes looked like they wanted to mist over, and he smiled grimly.

"Thank you, Rachel."

Santana's eye roll was practically audible. "Let's go, Berry. We haven't got all night. We have a broadcast to get to."

Rachel nodded, turning towards the door, but hesitated a moment before turning back.

"Though, we're missing a very important part to this story. Blaine, if I might ask, what exactly does this relic do?"

Blaine's smile went from sad to vindictive. He turned his eyes smugly to Santana and lifted an eyebrow.

"I guess you'll just have to figure that out on your own, won't you?"

Santana scoffed, taking a few steps back into the room, and grabbing Rachel by the elbow.

"We already have all we need."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Blaine whispered to the closing door. "I wouldn't be too sure."

\

The sight of human blood always made Brittany feel a bit uneasy. She was well aware of its more useful qualities, but it all depended on the context. And the context that she was witnessing at the moment didn't quite sit well with her.

"Let's just get this over with." She said to Puck, smacking on her gum in annoyance.

Will, who sat restrained in a dining room chair, hands behind his back and mouth covered with tape, began to breathe heavily, in response to her words, the blood dripping from his nose misting over his white shirt.

Brittany had simply been watching as Puck grabbed Will when he first walked it, lifting him up as if he were a toddler, and slammed him down in the chair that they set up in the middle of the crowded room. Tina had moved in a flash to secure him to the chair with tape, wrapping what was probably way too much around him in a matter of seconds.

Now Brittany approached where he sat, putting a hand on top of his mound of curly hair, and patting reassuringly.

"Don't worry, we're not here to kill you."

Both Puck and Tina sighed loudly.

"You're not supposed to tell him that, Brittany." Tina groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, it's true, and there's no point in making him worry for no reason." Brittany countered, still patting Will's hair.

She wondered how he made his brown hair so curly. Was it a perm, or was it always like that? She'd seen him a few times before, and it seemed to be his thing. She wondered how she'd look with her hair all curly like that. She reminded herself to ask Will later.

As, as she patted his head, she could feel his heart rate slowing from the pace set a few moments before when it had sounded like it was about to beat out of his chest. They couldn't have him having a heart attack and dying right then and there, could they? Sue would probably have something to say about that.

"Anyway." Brittany moved back to the edge of the couch, and perched herself on the arm, gesturing towards Will. "Please continue."

Tina sighed again, and walked over to Will, grazing a nail over his jugular vein.

"We don't have to kill you to make you suffer, Will. It just means we have to get a little bit more creative. And my friend here, " She nodded at Puck. "Can get very creative."

Puck only chuckled deeply, a dark look crossing his features.

Brittany rolled her eyes. She wasn't even sure why she had come along with Puck and Tina. She didn't like little exercises like this. They were pointless and they always made her feel like she needed a shower afterwards. Whenever she'd ask Sue about it, she would say it was because Brittany needed to "toughen up". Well, Brittany knew what tough was, and it wasn't hiding in someone's apartment until they showed up, surprising them, and then tying them to a chair. She brought her knees up to her chest, and watched Puck approach Will, while Tina pulled up a chair to look at Will directly.

Brittany could hear a faint rustling sound, like a string being dragged back and forth across a sheet of paper. The sound was way too low for Puck and Tina to hear, and it was barely noticeable for her, mostly due to the rain pounding the window. It may have been coming from an apartment three doors down for all she knew. She turned her attention back to Puck, who was circling menacingly around Will, coming to a stop right beside him.

"Oh sure. I can get real creative."

Puck kneeled down, and pulled something out of his boot. With a few quick flicks the butterfly knife shined in the reflection from the lights outside the window.

Brittany could hear Will's breath stop, and saw his eyes grow wide.

"You're going to give up on your little vampiric goose chase, Willy-boy."

Puck dragged the blade slowly down each of Will's cheeks a razor thin line of blood appearing on each one from the sharp knife.

Will only nodded frantically, and Brittany could hear his breathing continue, more of a pant, and the faint rustling become even more insistent.

Untangling herself from where she sat on the couch, Brittany began to move around the room, dodging stacks of papers and books, and leaned her ear against one wall, and then another.

Puck and Will paid her no mind, but Tina stood up, annoyed and stomped to where Brittany stood, her ear pressed up against the wall.

"I get it, Britt, you're not interested, but could you at least act like you're menacing even a little bit. Sue is not going to like it-"

"Shhhh!" Brittany snapped, putting her finger to Tina's mouth.

Tina grimaced, and shook her head until Brittany's finger fell away.

"What the hell-?"

"I said be quiet, Tina. I hear something."

"Well, Will's neighbors getting it on, notwithstanding, we need to focus-"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Brittany whispered fiercely, her eyes narrowing.

Brittany still couldn't pinpoint the sound, but realized that it wasn't coming from another room, but the one they were all standing in now. Her eyes flitted from side to side frantically.

"What in the hell…?" She said, echoing Tina's sentiments.

Suddenly, the noise stopped, and a flicker of movement caught her eye. It was Will. The sound had been coming from Will. She saw his hands move from where he'd sawed through the tape only a moment before and now they were up and free, working their way into his coat.

Puck was still delivering a blistering soliloquy to the ceiling and Tina was still staring at her opened mouthed, as she watched Will reach into his coat, and pull something out. She could feel it before she could see it. It wasn't just coated in silver, but a solid piece of the stuff, she should have smelled it a mile away, and wondered why she hadn't noticed it in his coat immediately.

"Puck!"

Her words were wasted as she saw Puck look down at Will, and gape at the silver cross that he gripped tightly and held like a shield covering his body.

Puck didn't have time to react, other than burying his face in the crook of his elbow, dropping the knife, screaming wildly, and falling to the floor.

Brittany's eyes turned to Tina, who was already on the ground, curled into a ball, moaning loudly.

Will still held the cross high, and was using his other hand to saw through the tape that held his legs. Brittany could now clearly see the blade that must have been hidden up his sleeve. Damn him. Why was he always so well prepared?

Will now stood, and pointed the silver cross towards Brittany, taking a few tentative steps in her direction. Brittany could still hear Tina whimpering in a ball at her feet, and looked hard at Puck who was rolling pathetically on the ground.

"You foul creature! You come into my home, uninvited?! How did you manage that, anyway? You know what, it doesn't matter. I'm going to make sure that your kind does not get the chance to terrorize the pure beings of this world any longer."

Brittany watched almost disinterestedly as Will advanced upon her, his confidence gaining with every step, and holding up the cross like a beacon lighting his way.

"If I have my way, I will wipe your kind off the face of the planet. Humanity will once again be safe-"

"Oh why don't you shut up?"

Will stopped, surprised. Turning the cross around in his hand, he looked at it, as though he was considering a lantern whose flame had gone out.

"Why isn't it-?"

He didn't finish as Brittany walked quickly until they were almost face to face, cocked back her right arm, and delivered a punch to his nose, one that left his eyes rolling back as he hit the ground with a thump.

"I don't generally like violence, but you're making me reconsider my position." Brittany quipped to the unconscious man.

She quickly wrapped the cross up in an old t-shirt that was laid across the couch, and opening the apartment window, tossed it into the alley below.

Behind her, Puck and Tina's breathing returned to normal, and they began to stir from where they were withered on the floor.

Brittany turned, offered them her brightest smile, and smacked her gum again for good measure. "And that, kids, is how we learned that we always search people after tying them up!"

\

"You don't really believe in all that stuff, do you Santana?"

"Why do you always have to antagonize him, Santana?"

The two questions came at the same time. They had been sitting in car for about fifteen minutes already, in relative silence as they made their way back to Artie's place to prepare for the podcast (which usually ran live). It was quiet in the vehicle, and even though that was because Rachel was too annoyed with her to make her usual ruckus, Santana was glad for it. She had been glancing at the clock as the minutes ticked by. A green 9:32 shined at her from the console.

Santana sighed, not looking over at Rachel in the passenger seat, but choosing to address her first.

"Because Rachel-"

"Because I can't possibly see what's the point in butting heads with him." Rachel fumes. "He could be someone on our side, helping us decode some of the greatest mysteries of the supernatural but you're always pushing him, and I don't really see the point. Warbler's Wonders is one of the most popular alternative vlogs on the internet, and SLINN could use the listeners. We're doing well, Santana, but not that well. I have long been a proponent of cooperation, you know that, and Blaine is good at what he does."

"Good?" Santana snorts, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter. "Blaine is a stooge. His so called "fans" pump his head up so big, it's a wonder he hasn't gone bankrupt buying hair gel. His reporting is lazy, his methods are weak, and he'd do anything to appease the nutjobs that frequent his site."

"But his instinct is unmistakable, Santana. Even you can admit that."

Santana doesn't respond, but sneaks a look at Rachel, who is sitting up in her chair, and staring pointedly.

She finally shrugs and lets out a small grunt.

Knowing that this is the best that she's going to get, Rachel sits back in her chair. "So, can we, at least, try not to get under his skin at every opportunity?"

Santana shrugs again, choosing instead to punch a button on the radio. The sounds of smooth jazz fill the van.

Rachel, satisfied, turns back towards Jane.

"Of course she believes it, Jane. Why else do you think she's doing it?"

"But, I mean, ghosts, vampires, werewolves… All that stuff? Do you really think it's…. out there?" She gestured vaguely outside.

"I'm not as accepting as my colleague here would have you believe." Santana quipped, lingering on the word colleague as she knew it was Rachel's preferred term for their working relationship. "All I know is that there are things in this world, that I don't understand, and I don't discount any of them."

Santana glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Jane's eyes grow wide. "What would you do if you saw a vampire right now?"

"Probably ask it how I can join the club."


	2. The Thing About Mysteries

_Happy Marriage Equality!_

* * *

Brittany yanked the giant wooden door open and took a step back. Gesturing, she motioned for Puck and Tina to go in ahead of her. They had barely recovered from their little escapade, but were only a bit worse for wear.

They'd decided as a group to leave Will where he was. There was no damage control good enough to deal with the fact that he had incapacitated two of them, and it was only a well-timed punch that kept him from coming up with some crazy plan that might have worked on Brittany. It was weird the way that his brain was always working. She had to admire it a little.

The house was pretty quiet, even though it was still early in the evening, and as the small group walked down the huge foyer, Brittany watched Tina give Puck a strange look. Before she could react, the two of them reached for her, and carried off to another darkened hallway.

She sighed and let herself be carried, already reasoning what they wanted to talk to her about, away from prying eyes.

They set her down with a thump, standing directly in front of her, and thereby blocking any means of escape. If she had wanted to escape. Which she didn't.

"Britt, look, we know we screwed up back there." Puck began, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

"Well, we wouldn't have if someone had warned us that he might be armed."

"As if it's her fault that we didn't think to check his sleeves."

"I'm not saying it's her fault, Puck, but a little heads up would have been nice. Why'd we bring someone who can see a mosquito land on the Statue of Liberty's torch while standing on the ground if she couldn't see someone sawing through a length of tape?"

Brittany balked, her voice rising. "Is this how you want to do this, Tina? Blaming me for your screw up? Why don't we just ask Sue and see what she thinks?"

Tina snapped her mouth closed and Puck gave her a sideways glance before turning back to Brittany.

"You're right, Britt, it was totally our fault, but we did what we were supposed to do, right? We put some fear into him. He'll think twice before messing with us again."

"Or…" Brittany drawled, examining her fingernails closely. "He's just realized that he managed to take out two out of the three of us, and it's made him bolder than ever."

"But no, you see, you got him, Britt. You got him. He knows that the stunt he pulled won't work on everybody, and I bet he's got the broken nose to prove it." Puck said, though it didn't even sound as though he believed it.

Brittany rolled her eyes and sighed softly. "Am I a snitch, Puck?"

Puck's mohawk bristled as he shook his head vigorously.

"Then you don't have to worry. I'm not going to say anything to Sue. But we need to deal with this William Schuester problem, and we need to deal with it fast."

Puck's mohawk began to move vertically as he nodded quickly.

"I don't know why we couldn't just kill him." Tina mumbled sadly.

"Oh so now you're all on board for killing him. I thought it was 'We do what Sue says, end of story.' 'What, Puckerman, you think Sue's getting soft?'" Puck was doing his best Tina impression, and actually pulling it off.

"Well, yeah, but that's before I knew how much trouble he was."

"We don't kill him." Brittany broke in. "Not just because Sue said so, but because I say so. Understand?"

The other two nodded softly.

Their conversation was broken by yelling coming from the hallway. Sue's own personal attack terrier, a little firecracker called Becky, was making her presence known.

"Sue's got something to say to you peasants. I suggest you get your asses to her den before she decides to look for you."

Brittany, Puck and Tina walked out of the alcove, and Becky eyed them suspiciously.

"What are you stupid bitches looking at?"

They didn't respond, just brushing past her and up the stairs towards Sue's rooms.

"Figures." Becky said, traipsing off to another part of the house, to finish making her announcements.

The house was huge, and constructed maybe a hundred years prior when the area was mostly just farmland on the outskirts of New York City. Sue had had it built herself before she would even consider moving to New York. Brittany really didn't remember all the details. She was glad that Sue had invited her to live with her, and she'd always wanted to come to New York, so it seemed like a good deal at the time.

It had more than 30 bedrooms, even more bathrooms, kitchens, lounging and TV rooms, a library, tennis court, a pool, and even stables that had since fallen into disrepair.

Brittany had spent part of a summer, years ago, trying to convince Sue to have it fixed up so that she could get a horse like she had before she'd moved to New York, but Sue said, and she was right, that before too long they wouldn't have the land for it. Sometimes, she'd drive miles upstate just to watch the horses gallop in the open fields, their tails whipping wildly, manes flowing, just free. She envied that. It had been a long time since she felt that way.

The winding stairs up to Sue's quarters enhanced the restricted feeling that made Brittany's chest grip like a vice. She wasn't afraid of Sue, not exactly. She'd known her for so long, and the two of them had long since created a kind of rapport that worked for them, and ended all that petty attempted murdering that popped up every once in a while. But it wasn't exactly to the point where she felt _comfortable_ in Sue's presence. She found her best bet was to just ignore as much as she could, and if someone asked her a question, respond with something about ducks. It'd worked so far. Sue stayed out of her hair, and other than pesky escort missions (where she did little more than make sure that Puck's mohawk didn't get damaged), she was mostly left to herself. She spent a lot of time roaming the city, and the countryside, meeting people that she found interesting, and other clans much like her own.

They entered the den and Brittany looked around. She didn't spend much time there (she tried to avoid it if she could), and would sometimes forget how _regal_ everything was. Mahogany and oak covered every surface, and the walls were covered with shelves of amazing and rare books, beautiful art pieces, and treasures that were probably worth a large fortune.

Brittany wrinkled her nose. She could smell the blood, though the aroma was weak at the moment. She didn't care how often she came in here; it always smelled like blood.

Most of the group was already there. Brittany nodded to Mike as Tina bounced over to sit with him. Puck and Mike had probably known her the longest. Before they had joined up with Sue, the three of them had traveled around in Europe and the States. It hadn't always been safe for Mike, with him being Chinese. Sometimes people tended to look down on him, and it only had just gotten better in recent years, but as he didn't go out during the day, there was less a chance of him getting into trouble.

Brittany separated from Puck, who raised an eyebrow and went to go lean against a wall. She'd noticed Kurt sitting by himself, and wanted to join him. Kurt Hummel was definitely more of a new addition, though Brittany wasn't exactly sure where he'd come from. One day he wasn't there and the next day he was. He was all attitude and fashionable ascots. His mousy brown hair always perfectly styled. He always looked like he needed a tan (Sue had taken to calling him Porcelain), his skin so pale, it was almost translucent. Brittany always wanted to touch it, but after she'd tried the first time, and it'd taken him half an hour to stop complaining about how he'd have to reapply his foundation, she didn't try again.

"Hiya Kurt!" Brittany said, sitting down next to Kurt on the couch with a thump.

"Evening Britt." He replied, in his usual almost bored tone.

Brittany liked Kurt, and she was sure he liked her too. The bored voice was proof of that. It was better than the almost annoyed voice he used with everyone else. There was even the ghost of a smile on his cheeks.

"How'd the job go? With Schuester?"

Brittany grimaced. "Don't ask."

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"It's fine, we're going to handle it. Anyway, he won't be bothering Sue again for the time being."

Kurt only laughed, shaking his head. "I could have told you that taking Tina along was a bad idea. She always thinks she the leader of any operation until she isn't."

Brittany laughed along with him. She opened her mouth to continue when the doors from Sue's inner chambers to her outer den (where they were seated now) opened and Sue stalked in, followed by Becky on one side, and Quinn on the other.

The smell of blood which had, until that moment been only faint, became a full on assault to Brittany's olfactory system. She blinked a few times to try to clear her head.

"You okay, Britt?" Kurt whispered, leaning in close and putting a steadying hand on her arm.

Brittany only nodded and pinched her nose, sniffling deeply. That only seemed to make things worse, so she turned her attention back to Sue through watery eyes.

"-and this is why we keep the sheep **away** from the feeding pens, unless they're actually feeding. I can't believe I have to tell this to you all _again_. It's not rocket science, people!"

Sue was all business. She was more than just an imposing figure personality wise (with a voice loud enough to be heard in the next town over if she were really yelling), but she was even taller than Brittany, who had inherited her height from her Dutch genes. Today she wore a bright red, three piece suit that highlighted the length of her legs, and made her seem more intimidating than ever. Brittany knew that they blood smell wasn't coming from the suit, but she did wonder if she touched it, if it could stain her fingers.

Brittany's eyes moved to Quinn who she noticed was staring pointedly out the window. Quinn, like Kurt, liked to make a show of how bored she was with everything. But unlike Kurt, everyone actually bought Quinn's act, everyone except for Brittany.

Quinn Fabray had met Sue around the same time as Brittany. And though they hadn't known each other before, there was an instant connection. Sure, Quinn was beautiful, she had flawless skin the color of antique pearl, perfectly pouty lips, and blond hair that she'd sometimes wear up, or sometimes wear down, the curls cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. But it was her eyes that really drew Brittany in. Usually, they were hazel. A light brown that seemed to reflect golden flakes in her irises. Sometimes they were green, a deep green that bent and moved with the light. Other times, the hazel went to a deep brown, that was almost black. Brittany knew to stand clear if she ever saw those eyes. Things would not end well for the person on the receiving end.

She had been staring at Quinn's eyes for a few moments before she caught the movement of them towards her. Of course she'd been caught staring. Instead of being embarrassed, Brittany smiled brightly, and waggled her eyebrows. Quinn on laughed in response, dipping her head and covering the smile with her hand.

"Something I said funny, Pierce?"

Brittany blinked a few times. She looked around noticing the eyes of the room on her, and then looked back at Sue.

"I don't think so. Did you, Sue?"

Sue's eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips.

"Are you giving me sass, America's Next Top Idiot?"

"No! I was just wondering if sheep start swimming in the duck pond, will it become a sheep pond? And then where will all the ducks go?"

Sue rolled her eyes, and shaking her head, turned back to her captive audience.

"And this ladies and gentlemen, is why we don't huff the paint."

Brittany raised an eyebrow and turned back to Quinn, who was practically panting she was trying so hard to hold in her laughter.

"As I was saying…"

Brittany tuned out again, and looked around for Puck. He had taken a seat next to Sugar, like Kurt, a newer recruit. Sugar's family came from old money, and she wasn't afraid to throw it around. Brittany hadn't like the girl much at first, but Sugar had grown on her. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, and had a really cool fashion sense. It didn't hurt that Puck had a weird crush on her, so Brittany tried to get along with her for his sake. Mostly, she was just really earnest, and honest, and spent most of her time in the doghouse with Sue, because she always said just what she wanted, and Brittany respected that.

Now she sat next to Puck, whispering quietly in his ear. Her wild brown hair was a lot like her, it couldn't be tamed. She was wearing some cheetah print number with weird cat ears or something. Puck had whispered something in her ear that made her laugh while at the same time bringing a blush that was even visible under her olive cheeks.

Sue had begun ranting again, and even wondering what animal Sugar's ears were exactly supposed to be couldn't keep her attention away any longer. Sometimes noises were loud in her ear, sometimes she could turn them up or down like the knob on a car stereo, but something about Sue's voice made her almost impossible to ignore when she really got going.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen brings me to my final point of the evening, and the real reason that I brought you all here. Quinn, dear, if you please."

At this direction, Quinn, who was standing disdainfully against Sue's gigantic desk, heaved a book that was about the size of her entire upper body from the surface, and began to walk towards the group.

Brittany was up in an instant, and went to her side, grabbing the book out of her hands, careful not the jostle the pages.

"Careful, Puff the Brainless Bloodsucker, that book costs more than your life." Sue barked.

Brittany only sighed softly, and stood beside Quinn, holding the book open at her hips.

"Everyone gather round and take a look. Because this is something you're going to want to see." Sue gestured towards the book as though she were presenting some rare jewel or exotic creature on display.

With a few grumbles, the group stood, and shuffled around the book.

"Sue, maybe I'm missing something, but what am I looking at?" Whined Puck, furrowing his brow in concentration.

"The things you're missing are called brain cells, Mohawk, and I think you wasted them all on that ridiculous hairstyle of yours. For the rest of you _thinking_ people, you'll see at the bottom of this page, a picture of what looks to be Polaris, or the North Star. It is actually a talisman. An ancient relic, if you will."

The crowd murmured in anticipation. Whatever Sue was angling towards was going to be a big announcement. They hadn't had any historical treasure hunts to go on in a long time.

"This relic is said to be very powerful, and only recently have I rediscovered it. It has the power clarify the blood of an impure creature of the night, and make them pure again."

Brittany's eyes widened a bit as she looked at Quinn, who refused to meet her eye. This was big. If it were true, it could mean… She didn't dare finish the thought with Quinn so close next to her, so she looked back towards Sue.

"Now, I know what you're thinking, how is this possible? Well, you're going to have to trust me. And to do that, you'll have to insure that we get our hands on it first."

The questions started all at once, and Becky raised her hands for silence.

"All of you, shut up! Sue's not finished talking!"

Brittany wanted to shake her head to try and stop the ringing in her ears. Between Sue and Becky, she wasn't sure if there wouldn't be irreparable damage to her ear drums.

"I have a few locations in mind, and I'll be sending small groups of you with each one. Whoever returns with this item will be very well rewarded."

The last part of Sue's proclamation was heavy with suggestion. The crowd was already buzzing with chatter as some people discussed where they thought the artifact would be, and others wondered what Sue would offer them if they found it. Camera flashes and shutter clicks filled Brittany's senses, and she had to close her eyes. Quinn was at her side in a moment, waving everyone off, and shoving the book towards Puck, ordering him to put it on the table.

"And why would we want that?"

A lilting, clear voice broke through the chatter, and everyone's attention snapped to Kurt, who was still seated at the back of the room.

"What was that, Ivory Coast?"

"I said, why would we want that? Some of us are content the way we are. Why would we want to dilute the blood that we already have?"

Sue cackled, before wiping a 'tear' from her eye. "You've got to be joking. Well, you might be happy with that human blood in you, but we want something more, something better. Look at poor Quinn. The best among you, but because of that bastardization, she can barely kill anyone anymore. It's pathetic. No offense, Quinnie."

Quinn only grunted halfheartedly.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with Quinn." Now it was Brittany's voice, smaller, but growing in strength as she stepped up to defend her friend. "I think it humanizes her, it helps her remember her humanity-"

"Humanity? Ha!" Sue practically snorts at the suggestion. "Humanity is for suckers, and it's not welcome in my clan. Now, Porcelain, if you're not interested in finding the relic, fine. I'll take you off the list. The rest of you layabouts meet with Becky and Quinn for your assignments. Brittany, you make sure to get one as well."

The threat was not lost on Brittany. Kurt could shirk this cause, but she couldn't. Sue was always trying to reign her in.

Sue had turned and was already going back into her inner chambers, Becky following along at her heels.

"Come on, Quinn, we have assignments to make." Sue called over her shoulder.

"Get Becky to help you. I'm busy."

Before Sue could respond, Quinn had Brittany by the arm, and was already pulling her out of the den, and into Quinn's own room next door. She shoved Brittany in, then followed behind her, door slamming shut with a thump.

Brittany could see that even from that short exertion, Quinn was a little out of breath. She led her friend to the couch to sit down, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her back.

"Sue's certainly never gotten over her flair for the dramatic." Quinn laughed suddenly.

Brittany couldn't hold back a chuckle either. "I don't care how long we've known the woman, she never can just come out and say something."

Brittany paused her soothing motions to Quinn's back as she feels Quinn shaking suddenly beneath her hand.

"Quinn, are you?" Her eyes went from wide with concern to narrowed in annoyance as she realized that Quinn was just laughing silently.

"D-d-d-did you see her? A-a-a-a-after your sheep and duck bit?!" Quinn is practically crying, the tears running down her face. "I don't know how you do it, Britt. She has no idea what you're on about sometimes."

Brittany only smiled, sighing and leaning back into the couch. "Well, I can't just upfront say I feel she's boring as hell, and needs to shut up. That might get me in trouble."

Quinn laughed again, and started holding her sides. "Riiiiight. Especially not after Prague."

Brittany grinned at the memory. She remembered that weekend pretty clearly. It hadn't really ended well for either one of them.

As Quinn settled down, Brittany took a quick glance around the room. It was nothing like Sue's which was all sound and fury, but with very little substance. Quinn's rooms were understated but classy, but full to bursting with untold treasures and secrets, just like Quinn herself. Brittany smiled faintly.

"You've always liked these rooms better. I don't know why you just don't move in." Quinn said, finishing her thoughts.

"Nah." Brittany replied, walking over to the desk, and spinning the globe there. "I like having my own space. And anyway, being this close to Sue would weird me out. Q, I can smell the blood from here."

"Britt, you can smell the blood from anywhere."

"Not the point."

Quinn sighed, moving from the couch after seemingly having caught her breath. She stood beside Brittany, putting her fingers over where Brittany's lay on the globe.

"It's very important that you be the one to find this thing."

Brittany scoffed. "We don't even know if it's real, Quinn. Or if it does what she really says it does."

"After the way you screwed up with Schuester, you're going to need a way to get back into Sue's good graces, and this is the perfect way to do it."

Brittany grimaced. She knew that Quinn would have already known about their cock up with Will, but she hadn't wanted to _talk_ to her about it.

"Q-"

"Look, Brittany, she's grooming you for something important. You and me, both. Now, I know that you think that she doesn't have confidence in you, but she wants to. She's just looking for a reason."

Brittany sighed and rolled her eyes, reminding Quinn of a petulant teenager. Imagining Brittany as a teen brought a smile to her lips.

"B, I'm serious."

She walked closer to Brittany, until they were almost touching. The tips of their shoes grazing as Quinn came even closer. She put a gentle finger on Brittany's chin, and brought her eyes up.

"Brittany, you need this win. I don't want anything to happen to you. To happen to us."

Quinn's last words were soft and pleading. Brittany couldn't help it. Seeing those hazel eyes stare into her's and speak as though she were asking a most dear favor was like her kryptonite.

"Fine." Brittany said, tearing her eyes away from Quinn again.

Quinn only giggled softly, and wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, showering her face with kisses.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me, B."

Brittany, laughing, untangled the adoring hands from her neck, and placed a single kiss on the end of Quinn's nose.

"I've got some idea." She waggled her eyebrows again.

Quinn only laughed again.

"It's so nice to see you like this." Brittany breathed, still savoring the closeness that they shared.

Quinn's smile faltered a bit. "Like what?"

"So, open and free, and happy. It reminds me of the old days. When you weren't frowning all the time."

Quinn sighed, and stepped away from Brittany, the levity leaving her voice even more. "There were more things to be happy about then."

Brittany knew that she was pushing things, she could feel Quinn shutting down right in front of her eyes. She didn't want to force Quinn to talk about anything she didn't want to talk about, but the questions were eating her up inside. And no matter what Quinn knew, if she didn't say them out loud, Quinn would never answer them.

"What's changed, Q? I'm still here, and you are. We could still be like that, the way things were."

"They just can't." Quinn's voice was completely flat. Her eyes almost dead. She was nothing like the woman who had been embracing Brittany only a few moments before.

"Q, I'm sorry. I-" Brittany reached out a hand, but Quinn was already out of reach.

"Just remember, Brittany, don't screw this up. Keep your people in line. Sue won't accept failure again."

Without waiting for Brittany's response, she opened the door, and was out of the room, heading back in the direction of Sue's quarters.

Brittany could only stare after her, the hurt evident in her eyes.

\

It was almost two by the time Santana got home.

She was more exhausted than usual, because besides taking calls, arguing with Warblerinos (who she affectionately referred to as Warblerassholes), and being her usual charming self, she'd had to argue down the paranoid rantings of Rachel and Artie. They were both convinced that Blaine had called the police and was going to have an armed SWAT team breaking down the door of the studio at any moment.

Santana couldn't really allay their fears, but she managed to ignore them long enough to get through the two hour show, and get out of there.

Now she took off her shoes outside, carefully opened the door, and tiptoed through, trying to make as little noise as possible. The desk lamp switching on made her sigh and drop her shoes with a thump.

"Waiting up again, Mercedes? Doesn't that get old?"

Mercedes got up from where she had been sitting on the couch, and snatched Santana's shoes up from the middle of the floor, rolling her eyes in the process.

"No, but you leaving your shoes everywhere certainly does. You know I can't go to bed knowing you're roaming around the city chasing ghosts, San. Don't even play."

"I helped!" A voice piped up from the spot that Mercedes had recently vacated. Her fiancé, Sam, poked his head up from the couch, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Yeah right, Sam, I bet $100 bucks that you fell asleep before midnight, like you usually do, while Mercedes was left watching whatever Netflix show you were bingeing on by herself. _Again._ "

Santana flopped onto the couch while Sam stood up, and went to take the shoes from Mercedes, laying them on top of the shoe rack near the front door.

Mercedes went into the kitchen, and Santana could hear the rattle of pots and pans while she tried to find their tea pot, and boil some water. It was something of a tradition with them. Mercedes would stay up until Santana got home, then make them all tea so they could sleep. Santana had never been much of a tea drinker, but Mercedes had brought her around.

She had finally gotten used to Sam breaking into their tea drinking tradition; he and Mercedes had been dating for almost two years, and got engaged a few months before. As much as she hated admitting it (simply because Sam was always doing these annoying impressions), they were a perfect match. Ebony and Ivory. At first, Santana had loved teasing Mercedes about the "white boy that she brought home like a stray puppy". But Sam always treated Mercedes well, and it was obvious even to Santana that he loved her, and she loved him, so she tried to treat him with at least a little respect.

As the water heated up on the stove, Mercedes and Sam nestled back into the couch, her hand lazily pulling through his short blonde hair, his hands stroking down her rich, brown skin. They were a couple of contrasts, but they seemed to make it work. The cheeky grins that they both sported caused Santana to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, hell no. You two weren't doing the dirty on the couch again, were you?"

Sam dipped his head, and Santana could see his ears getting red, while Mercedes only looked away, failing to meet Santana's eyes.

"Dammit you two, I swear to god!"

"No, it's not like that Santana-" Mercedes started.

"Yeah, we were just making out, you know?"

"And then Sam started getting a little handsy…"

"And Cedes got a little handsy…"

"And, you know, things happened. But trust me, it's clean and disinfected. Totally."

Santana grimaced. "But who's going to disinfect my _mind_ , Cedes? Who's going to disinfect my mind?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Santana's dramatics.

"How'd the raid at Blaine's go? Did he spill?" Mercedes said, trying to change the subject.

Santana pulled at the threads of the blanket covering her chair absently.

"Yeah, but we're in no better position than he is. We don't know anything. All we know is that there's something out there that people want. And we want to get to it first."

Mercedes furrowed her brow. "I don't want you getting involved in crazy stuff, Santana. You've got to promise me that you'll be careful."

"Cedes-"

"I'm serious. " Her tone brokered no further argument, so Santana let it be.

"Fine."

This seemed to brighten Mercedes a little bit, and Santana got up towards the kitchen when she heard the tea kettle begin to whistle.

She was preparing the cups when Mercedes walked into the kitchen.

"That reminds me, I got a call for you while you were gone." She held out a small slip of paper.

"What? On the house phone?"

"I know, right? I figured only mom had that number, but here we are."

Santana took the piece of paper from Mercedes.

 _New York Public Library Main Branch_

 _Manuscripts and Archives Division_

 _John Bigelow Papers_

 _Tomorrow, 10 AM_

"What does this mean?"

"I dunno." Mercedes said with a shrug. "He said his name was Will Something and I was to tell you he called, and give you that info. It all sounded super mysterious."

Santana's eyes went wide, and she looked up sharply at Mercedes. "Will Something? Will what?"

Mercedes shrugged, "It was something weird, like, Will S-, something."

Santana put her hands on Mercedes shoulders, squeezing gently. "It's very important that you remember this Cedes. Super important."

Santana could see the confusion in her eyes, but waited regardless. Across the room, Sam had poked his head from behind the couch, and was waiting patiently to see the result of this clearly fascinating conversation.

Mercedes didn't seem unnerved, and stood for a moment furrowing her brow, and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It was something like, Shoe-, Shoe something…"

"Schuester? Was it Will Schuester?" Santana had a wild look in her eye. "William Schuester?"

Mercedes nodded, suddenly worried about Santana's interest.

"Awesome!" Santana hugged Mercedes close, grabbing her hands and twirling her around.

"Whoa, whoa, Santana, what's going on?" Mercedes put her hands on Santana's arms, to try and slow her movement.

"Mercedes, William Schuester is one of the biggest names working in the paranormal research game today. He makes Joshua P. Warren look like David L. Sloan."

"I'm going to pretend like I know who any of those people are."

"I just mean, he's a big name. Remember last year, I was begging him to be on the show, but he wouldn't cave, and finally, I sent him that whole essay about how his research got me interested in the field in the first place, and he responded back saying how touched he was?"

"I'm going to be really honest here, Santana." Mercedes said, looking into Santana's eyes. "I have no earthly idea what you're talking about."

Santana shrugged. Mercedes had never much been into the paranormal as she was, but she always supported her, in spirit, and even let her broadcast from their apartment sometimes when Artie's mom had bridge night.

"If he is sending me to the New York Public Library, that means he knows about Blaine's artifact, and he might know where to find it."

"Oh." Mercedes said, connecting the dots. "But why would he help you? I mean, what's in it for him?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I impressed him with my letter? Maybe he started listening to the show? Maybe he just hates Blaine's guts as much as any normal human person should. You know me, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth."

"But Santana, it's a bit suspicious, don't you think? Him coming out of the blue, and handing you the key to some secret that you don't even completely understand."

"Cedes-"

Mercedes raised her hands to Santana's shoulders and squeezed gently. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

Her voice was soft, and Santana could see the seriousness in her eyes. Mercedes had made a promise when they'd moved to the city, and even though she was only a year older, was always feeling the need to look after Santana. But Santana didn't begrudge it. She knew it came from a place of love.

"Fine, I'll be careful."

"And make sure to take Rachel and the new intern. Sam can go along too, if you want."

"Babe, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop volunteering me for creepy missions." Sam piped up again from the couch.

"It's okay, Mercedes, seriously. I'll take Jane and even drag Berry along if it'll make you comfortable, but there's no way I'm taking Trouty mouth here, so I have to listen to his stupid impressions for hours on end."

Sam had gotten up from the couch, now walking over to the kitchen, wrapped his arms around Mercedes, nuzzling her neck.

"That's fine. Cause my girl here, _loves_ these big, ol' lips, don't you, baby?"

Mercedes turned in his arms, and pressed loving kisses to his lips, murmuring her agreement.

"Okay, enough, enough, I get it."

Santana waved her hands in disgust.

Mercedes laughed. "You're just mad cause you don't have anyone to mack on at the moment."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Seriously, San, it's been, what, six months since you broke up with your last girlfriend?" Sam broke in. "You need to start getting back out there, then you'll find the Mercedes to your Sam."

"And the Sam to your Mercedes." Echoed Mercedes.

"Or, I'll just find the dry to my heaving. Jesus, you two, that was the corniest thing I've ever heard. Did you rehearse that or something?"

"Well, we were thinking about it for our vows-"

"Well, I veto that shit. Seriously, you're going to have everyone throwing up in the aisles."

Mercedes laughed good naturedly. "Well, it's still something you should consider."

"What? Throwing up during your vows?"

"You'd better not throw up during my vows! You're the maid of honor! If you throw up, who's going to take over?"

Santana felt a little guilty, and patted Mercedes shoulder on her way out of the kitchen.

"Just joking, sis. I'm going to be as healthy as an ox, and in no way hungover."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and swatted at her. "You'd better be. Wait, you're leaving your tea."

"I'll get it later." Santana said over her shoulder. "I've got to call Berry. Tomorrow we've got a date with destiny."

"Well, make sure you remember what I said about being careful. You can borrow my bear mace if you want."

"Thanks, Cedes, but I'm sure we'll be just fine."


	3. The Thing About Meetings

Famous last words.

Santana didn't know why, but the phrase just popped up in her head. She hadn't really been thinking about death, or anything weird like that.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Berry had had an audition that morning, and so, she'd had to sit through an hour and a half of the saddest Broadway rejects sing about lost love, or Nazis, or whatever that musical was about. And then another half an hour in the car while Rachel complained about the lack of the talent in the city, while simultaneously building herself up as one of the greatest voices in a generation.

So, she was definitely thinking about death. Well, specifically murder. But, Rachel was the only one of them with a car, and she said she'd drive them downtown, only if Santana and Jane accompanied her on her audition (she'd never have admitted it, but Santana knew that they made Rachel nervous), and then paid for gas. Santana couldn't have borrowed Artie's van again, because he worked during the week.

So, she bit the bullet, and tagged along with Rachel, ignoring her near constant monologue about the state of the New York off Broadway scene.

The morning's complication explained why they only got to the Main Branch of the Library at almost fifteen past ten, running into the Archives Division, before being stopped at the counter.

"Name, please?" Said the rather bored looking librarian.

Santana hadn't really thought this far ahead, so she went with the truth.

"Santana Lopez."

The woman typed into the computer for a moment. "Ah yes, ten o'clock for the John Bigelow collection."

Santana nodded. "Yep, that's me."

"Okay, well, I'll mark it on this little map, but you can ask anyone you see with a name tag, and they'll point you in the right direction. Gloves are at every station, and we do ask that you keep your voices low."

Santana nodded excitedly, feeling that they are closer than ever to their final answer. The artifact that Blaine was after is soon going to be theirs, and she can already taste the victory. She knew that kissing up to Schuester had been the best way to go. She had initially thought he was a bit of a hack, but having him on the show would have drawn in the listeners. She was disappointed when he decided not to come on, but she'd give him the shirt off her back if he came through for her now.

As Santana led Jane and Rachel through the stacks, she couldn't help the look of awe that washed over her face. It wasn't her first time at the NYPL (she did go to the school in the city, after all), and NYU had a pretty awesome library as well. But Santana had always been more inclined to do her research on the Internet, and felt more comfortable looking through online archives than physical ones.

But as she walked through the room, she felt how alive it was with history.

It was a weird thought, but that's how she felt. People were crowded along tables, wearing gloves and thumbing through texts that were as old as the United States. She felt close to the past, it was somehow like having access to a time machine, but still keeping one foot solidly in the present. She liked it.

The room was all high ceilings, and high shelves, and high windows with sheer curtains. Bright enough to allow everyone to see clearly, but covered enough to protect some of the more delicate historical documents.

Following the map, Santana took the third left, and dodging a ladder, went deeper into the room. The light didn't reach quite as far, and there was definitely a creepy vibe. By the looks of some of the books and their spines, the books were getting older too. Clearly sorted to keep them out of the direct sunlight.

After a few moments, they found the drawer, it's close to the bottom of a long row near a back wall. The faint rustling of papers, and quiet chatter of conversation seemed very far away.

"This is it." Santana says, pausing in front of the shelf.

"Well?" Asks Rachel, tapping her foot.

"Well, what, Rachel? I don't actually know what comes next."

"Are you tell me that you followed Schuester's incredibly detailed instructions without realizing that they left out the most important detail? What exactly are we supposed to be looking for, Santana?"

Rachel's voice, whose baseline was already a few dozen decibels above average, carried loudly through the stacks, earning a few shushes from beyond where they could see.

"Excuse the hell out of me, Rachel! I was only trying to get us the break that would get us ahead of Blaine the Lame, and secure our spot as the number one place for paranormal information and news."

Santana was matching Rachel's volume, and turned fully to face her. She hated when Rachel acted like every bad thing that ever happened was her fault. She especially hated it when Rachel seemed to be calling her stupid, or unprepared, or worse, not good at her job.

"I didn't know I had to have every single detail before I went to make history! Anyway, Mercedes was the one who took the message and she didn't think-"

Rachel cut her off before she could continue. Now they were on their way to a full on screaming match.

"Well, certainly Mercedes could have reasoned that it might be necessary to have a few details about the location that we're going to be heading to-"

Santana saw red. She hated when the Hobbit went after her when she was on a rampage, but she would be damned if she was going to talk about Mercedes that way.

"Shut your mouth, Berry." Santana's voice became barely more than a growl. "Mercedes had nothing to do with this, and you know it. And you'd do well to keep my sister's name out of your mouth before I have to use the bear mace she let me borrow-"

"Either you all keep it down, or I'm going to have to ask you to leave." A different stern faced librarian poked her head from around the corner. "You're in a library. People are doing research." she snapped before giving them another baleful glare and stalking away.

Rachel and Santana glared at each other for another moment and the staring contest was only broken by a small voice behind them.

"Maybe you two should have a look at this."

They both turned to find Jane standing in front of an open drawer. Her hands were already gloved, and she had been flipping through the pages there.

Jane had long since gotten used to Rachel and Santana's bickering. If you asked her, more often than not it helped their process (though it did get a little loud), and it masked what was actually a very loving relationship. Though she wasn't sure if either one of them would ever admit it.

As they gathered around the drawer, their previous disagreement quickly forgotten, they could see that Jane had sorted through several documents which looked like letters. From what Santana could see, a few of them were dated as far back as 1853, and had an unmistakable aged look to them.

Jane held up one particular page in the dim light, and gently carried over to a nearby table.

"What is it, Jane?" Asks Rachel, almost reverently.

"I was just flipping through the papers, and found a name I recognized."

"Kresnick." Santana whispered, reading from the paper that lay down on the fabric covered table. "Holy shit."

After a few moments of Rachel and Santana jockeying for position (and Rachel walking around to the other side of the table, to get a clearer view), they could see that the letter was from one, John Bigelow, Ambassador, and addressed to Goran Kresnick, Master Builder.

"Do you think this is Karl's cousin?" muttered Jane, wary of having the mean librarian come back and fuss at them.

"It could be. What does it say?"

Jane began to read the note in hushed tones;

 _February 1, 1877_

 _My good friend Kresnick,_

 _I hope these days find you well in your homeland. It is to my great dissatisfaction that I was unable to visit you after our fortuitous meeting. I spent most of my time in Prussia in the company of that fellow von Bismarck, and he is a great distraction, but lacks your understated grace._

 _I eagerly await your arrival on these hallowed shores. I'm sure you remember my boasting of my great country, and she will welcome you with open arms._

 _Your first project is, of course, the renovations on my estate in Highland Falls. The Squirrels is a bit of a rundown beauty who would do well with your very delicate touch._

 _I do have another project for you. My very good friend, Samuel Tilden, great governor of this fine State, and the person who has advanced me to my own very esteemed position, has passed away. Mr. Tilden was a fine man, and will be greatly remembered. In his final missive to me, he asked that I continue to nurture and grow his very own pet project, the Public Library of New York City, and I intend to do so._

 _With your expertise, I'm sure you will find that New York will stand as a beacon of learning and light for years to come._

 _Your faithful friend,_

 _John Bigelow_

Secretary of State of New York

"That's it?" Rachel's shoulders slumped.

"Clearly not, Berry, or Will wouldn't have sent us here." Santana snapped, already standing back at the drawer Jane had left open. "Look what I found!"

Santana had donned the plastic gloves and was now holding another letter, in addition to a roll of large sheets of papers.

"This one is from Kresnick! And it's got plans attached." Santana couldn't hide her excitement. She slid the papers onto the table, and placed the letter from Goran Kresnick on top.

 _May 17, 1877_

 _My dear Mr. Bigelow,_

 _Thank you for your letter. I am well. You must excuse my poor writing here, I have still yet to improve my English. Though if you write me a letter in German, I may respond perfectly._

 _My talents are, as always, at your disposal. You have made such a generous offer to myself and my family, I don't believe we will ever forget your kindness._

 _I have looked at the plans for the library that is already built, and I believe there are many improvements that can be made. I am including the drafts here._

 _I will meet you face to face again before too long._

 _G. Kresnick_

Santana unrolled the papers and studied them carefully. She looked up and motioned to Jane.

"Jane, we need the current plans to the library. Rachel, you're going to have to convince somebody that we can go into the basement."

Jane nodded and scurried off, but Rachel balked.

"Why do I have to do the convincing?"

"Well, Rachel, because A) You talk the most, and can get more words into a conversation before the other person has a chance to even start talking."

"I-"

"B) You're probably the most convincing, though only if we're counting when I can't use my boobs, or my fists. And I've seen most of the librarians here. Odds are they're gay men or painfully straight women, and if they're not, threatening to kill them would probably only make them happier."

"Santana-"

"And C) You're always asking for more responsibility. Well, here's your chance. Get out there and wow me."

Rachel huffed a bit before turning on her heel, only to turn back a moment later. "I don't know what you're up to Santana Lopez, but I'm not falling for it. You'd better be here when I get back."

Santana gasped mockingly. "How dare you, Berry? As if I would do something as low and underhanded!"

"Whatever." Muttered Rachel through gritted teeth before stalking away.

In fact, Santana had wanted more time alone with the blueprints. She'd certainly need the current plans, but something might pop out at her, and if it did, she wanted to be able to move quickly. She couldn't have Rachel calling Blaine and convincing him to come down and try to confiscate whatever it is she found. And she had found it. Well, Jane had helped. The Dwarf was an annoying distraction, as usual, but at least she had given them a ride. Blaine would just be stealing their thunder. And there was no way she could allow that.

Santana's eyes roamed over the paper. She traced a latex glove covered hand over the detailed print, marveling at the fine script and delicate lines. She had to give it up to Goran. If he was as fine a builder as he was a draftsman, the library couldn't have been in better hands. The drawings were all carefully measured spaces, beautiful arches, and lines, so many lines. She loved the look and even the feel of it. Santana had never been one for architecture, but she'd learned quite a bit when she was studying the Maya ruins the year before. She'd even flown down to Guatemala to have a look at some ancient sites for a story on reverse extraterrestrial genetic engineering. That was amazing. But this was pure genius.

She had been looking at the drawings for about ten minutes, and nothing had immediately popped out at her. There were nine total drawings, each one from a different floor, and different wing of the library. She had gone through them all at least once, and was starting over when she felt a very subtle shift in the room. As though someone were watching her.

Santana looked up quickly, and though she could still hear the faint din of talking going on in the large research area, she didn't see anyone nearby. She was mostly hidden from everyone else by the stacks that surrounded her. In fact, she was probably the farthest back one could go away from the entrance. She looked around again before looking back down at the drawings.

It was a few moments later when she felt the eyes on her again. Looking up quickly, expecting Jane to be returning, blueprints in hand, she saw again that she was alone. But she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was there with her. Someone was watching her. The air seemed to crackle with electricity.

She looked down slowly back to the papers, eyes grazing over the lines, but really seeing nothing. She sighed, maybe she'd been down in the stacks for too long, breathing in all this old dust. Who knew what was buried back here? Santana moved one of the papers over to have a look at the next page when a pale arm reached over her's and pointed to an empty room, off to the side in the sub-basement.

"I've never seen that one before."

Santana spun around to find the owner of both the arm and the voice, and was met with one of the most beautiful woman that she'd ever seen.

She was about four inches taller than Santana, all long legs and blonde hair. Her eyes were the brightest blue that Santana had ever seen on another human being, and her smile... God, her smile. It was like a thousand watt bulb that almost blinded her. She was beautiful like no other person had a right to be.

She was wearing a ridiculous outfit, one of those old leather jackets with the frayed edges, and pants with bright yellow sunflowers printed onto them. Topped off with a bright, green beanie.

Santana stood frozen for a moment, and the woman took another step towards her, diminishing the already negligible space between them. Her face only inches from Santana's.

"No need to be scared." The woman whispered. She grinned again, slyly this time, and her canines seemed to become more pronounced.

Santana shook her head as if to clear it. "I'm not scared. Why are you sneaking up on people in the middle of the library anyway? This isn't a playground!"

Her voice was getting louder because, sure, she probably was a little scared, but she didn't want this woman (this gorgeous woman who was probably a serial killer) knowing that.

"Maybe you should be the one scared." Santana finished meekly.

The taller woman backed up a step, a look of concern on her face. "Aw, c'mon, I was just messing with you!" She said, abashed. "You just looked so cute focusing so hard on that book. I couldn't help but watch you." She looked down at her feet, playing with the fray on her coat.

The look made Santana want to rush over and take her hands, promising her that it would be okay. She beat down the feeling. She couldn't lose what was clearly the advantage she'd just won in their battle of wills.

"S-still, that's no excuse." Santana stuttered.

They stood for a moment in silence. Santana was still in awe of the woman, and the faint color that rose to her cheeks. It was very light, but there. Otherwise, she was pale as a ghost. Santana wondered if she was cold. That jacket was not only hideous, but it didn't seem to be providing much warmth. After mentally scolding herself again for worrying about this stranger's well being, she crossed her arms.

"What did you mean, you've 'never seen that one before'?"

The blonde smiled, and walked back over to the table, brushing dangerously close to Santana as she reached over and pointed.

"This room. I've never seen it before."

Santana scoffed. "So, you're telling me you have the whole layout of this library completely committed to memory?"

The other woman nodded. "Yep! It's kind of my thing."

"What if I told you, I didn't believe you?"

"Well, then I guess you're going to have to wait for your friend to come back with the blueprints, see I'm right, and then find and empty room, 'cause I'll already be gone."

Santana eyed her suspiciously. "What do you know about what's down there?"

The grin never leaving her face, the woman began backing away from Santana. "Nothing yet, but I'm sure I'm about to find out."

Without another word, she turned and walked towards the door. Santana couldn't let her leave, not knowing that there was a secret room, and knowing exactly where to find it. She looked around desperately hoping to see Jane (or even Berry!) come around the corner, and when no one appeared, she sighed, and trotted after the blonde.

"Where'd-omph!"

Santana had turned a corner too sharply, thinking she was being left behind when she collided into the woman, who had stopped, presumably for her to catch up.

She braced herself to go slamming into the shelf behind her (the woman was surprisingly solid), but was shocked instead to find a firm hand wrapped around her waist.

She could feel the butterflies flapping about madly in her stomach. The touch almost felt electric, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever felt anything like that before.

She straightened up quickly, and the hand lingered a second on her waist before falling back to the blonde's side.

"S-sorry." She muttered, getting that 'aw shucks' look on her face again.

"It's fine." Santana said with a sigh. "Just don't leave me. Okay?"

The other woman's thousand watt smile was shining again as she nodded enthusiastically. "Deal!"

She stuck out her hand. "I'm Brittany."

Santana hesitated a moment before shaking Brittany's hand. "Santana."

Brittany stood for another moment with her head cocked to the side, like a puppy thinking over whether or not to pee on the new rug. She seemed to be rolling around the word in her mind.

"Sa-tan-a." She said dumbly, after a few moments.

"Yeah." Santana replied, ready to guard against the coming insult.

"Santana." Brittany said again. "I like it!"

"Thanks?" Santana was confused. This woman- Brittany- was really weird. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she liked her. Which in and of itself was weird, because Brittany had yet to give her a reason to (well, except for her gorgeous smile, and amazing face, and her charming personality, and her kindness and-).

Brittany considered a moment before grabbing Santana's hand and leading her towards the door.

"Let's get to it, Santana. Adventure awaits."

\

Brittany hadn't been lying. She had been drawn to Santana, but that's not why she'd gone to the library. Quinn had given her the location, and not much to go on. Mike had started upstairs, and she had started down, thinking that if there was something to find, they'd get around to it eventually. It was just on a whim that she made her way to the Archives Division. She'd been to the Main Branch of the NYPL many times. In fact, it was one of her favorite places to get lost during the day. It was one of the many places around the city where she felt at home. It was easy to get lost in the crowd, and curl up with a good book, or just watch the people who strolled by. She loved it.

But the Archives Division was always fun. It where they kept some of the most interesting historical documents, and some of the stuff Brittany even recognized. She'd sometimes spend hours going through letters from long ago, and search for ones that talked about places she had been or people she had known. It was like a historical connect the dots, and she was the line.

So, it wasn't really unbelievable that she'd ended up in the Archives. However, when she'd arrived, she'd never dreamed of encountering someone as incredible as Santana.

She'd watched her send her friends away and pour over the papers in front of her. She'd heard the whole story about Goran Kresnick and his wealthy benefactor, and that was certainly interesting, but it was Santana who'd held her attention.

So, after a few more moments of silent stalking she had gotten close enough to really see her. She could even get a faint whiff of her on the air, and it filled her senses. She had to know this woman, all dark hair and dark eyes. She had to.

As she approached, she saw Santana was wearing knee high boots with an adorable, black and red mini dress. Her long, dark hair was brushed back into a ponytail, but wispy curls broke free, and framed her face. Every so often she would reach up and tuck one behind her ear, and Brittany longed to be the one doing it instead.

She had been watching her. Rather intently, in fact. And that's what had made her come over and point out the room that she had seen from where she'd stood out of Santana's view. She could have just gone downstairs alone to the room, and made off before Santana was any the wiser. But then, Brittany would have been deprived of her company, and she couldn't have that.

And that's how they ended up, hand in hand racing down a back corridor at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library, headed down to the basement.

"Will you hold on a second?!" Santana squeaked, gasping for breath. She pulled back against Brittany's hand, and leaned up hard against the cement wall.

Brittany looked around quickly, cocking her head at an angle, and listening closely. Behind Santana's labored breathing, which was easy enough to tune out, and she listened up and down the hall. The nearest worker was maybe a good 50 feet away from the hallway, and had apparently stopped to play a round of Temple Run.

The other guard who was supposed to be doing one of his hourly walkthroughs had been asleep for the past fifteen minutes, and if his snores were any indication, he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. They had plenty of time.

"Sure!" Brittany replied happily.

She watched Santana as she leaned forward at the waist, her hands on her thighs. She really should have taken it easy on her.

"You know, it's rude to stare."

Brittany's eyes widened as Santana turned to her, a small smile playing on her lips.

She liked this girl.

"Yeah, well, I was just wondering how long it's been since you've been on a track, or seen a treadmill…" Brittany responded, her own smile now forming.

Santana slapped her arm playfully. "I'll have you know that all this…" She ran her hands up her sides, smoothing up the sides of her breasts.

Brittany bit her lip.

"Is very strictly maintained for optimum performance."

Brittany's jaw was almost on the floor. Santana was flirting. She was flirting with her. And Brittany knew she could give as good as she got.

"Oh yeah?" She took a few steps towards Santana, breaking into her bubble of personal space. "Maybe we'll have to take the old girl out for a test drive."

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Old?"

Behind Santana, Brittany heard a click signifying a phone being locked, and footsteps heading in their direction.

"Time to go." She said, grabbing a hold of Santana again.

She probably could have lead the way without holding Santana's hand, but the lightning that seemed to arch out of her fingers whenever Brittany touched her made letting go a very unappealing proposition.

She took the nearest left, and then another left, opening a door and without even bothering to look, barrelling through it.

The stairwell was almost pitch black, and Brittany almost gasped when Santana put her other hand onto her shoulder, sliding close for more contact. For her part, Brittany could see just as well here as she could upstairs, but slowed down for a moment, to put Santana at ease.

This was a sub-basement of the main basement, which was actually more like a warehouse. There were climate controlled store rooms and locked storage units upstairs, down here was where they kept the old tables and chairs from the reading rooms, and letterhead from two directors ago.

"Don't worry, I know exactly where we're headed."

"How?" Santana whispered back.

She was standing almost at Brittany's elbow now, and Brittany could feel the hairs on the back of her neck curl up as the warm air from Santana's question hit her. This time she actually did gasp, which caused Santana to clutch her arm even tighter.

"What?" Santana whispered again.

"Nothing. And you don't have to whisper, there's nobody down here."

"How do you know?"

"Um, I used to work here. I volunteered here a couple of summers ago. Nobody comes down here except when they're doing inventory, and that's not for another couple of weeks."

This wasn't exactly untrue. Yes, Brittany had volunteered at the library, but it wasn't even that decade, much less a few summers ago. But she knew that the far reaches of the basement weren't of any interest to a lot of the staff, especially the skeleton staff that was working during the fall and the winter.

"Well, I guess that explains how you know where you're going."

"Yep." Brittany answered, confidently.

Entering a deeper room, Brittany felt Santana shiver beside her. She had been so lost in the feeling of being near Santana, she'd forgotten that she was so close to her. Santana's heart was beating about a mile a minute, and Brittany could feel her hands getting sweaty.

"Here."

Brittany removed her hand from Santana's carefully, and placed it on her forearm, then began digging through the many pockets of her leather coat with a determined look on her face.

After a few moments, she pulled something out of her pocket triumphantly. "Here we are!"

There was a click, and suddenly the room was illuminated. There were stacks of boxes all around covered by paint covers and tarp.

"Oh, thank god. Wait. You had that in your pocket all along? Why didn't you bring it out when we first came down the stairs?"

Brittany gave Santana a cheeky grin.

"I work better in the dark." She purred.

She moved in closer to Santana, but before she could say anything else, a box shifter behind them, and Santana was practically in her arms.

"Well, I don't, can we get a move on?"

Santana's heart rate, which had started to get back to normal only a few moments before, skyrocketed, and Brittany hurried to get them back on track before she freaked out even more.

"Sure, sure. Don't worry, follow me."

Leading them through another dark hallway, they arrived at a door. Brittany tried the handle, but finding it locked, gave several (very) firm tugs, and with a loud crunch, swung open.

"Whoa, that was something." Santana said, impressed.

Brittany laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, I think the hinges were rusted out or something. Weird."

She motioned for Santana to go through the door, handing her the flashlight.

"I don't think I'll need it much anyway."

Santana only nodded nervously and shined the flashlight around the dark room. She hesitated for a moment (Brittany could hear her heart rate rising) and stepped in.

Brittany followed behind, and firmly closed the door after them. The sound reverberated around the room, and seemed to echo louder each time.

"So, what do we do now?" Santana asked, a slight edge to her voice.

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

Santana had only moved a few steps away from the door, and was only a inch or two from Brittany. Brittany moved closer and put her arm across Santana's chest.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

The flashlight in Santana's hands nearly clattered to the floor, but she grabbed it quickly, shining it accusingly at Brittany.

Brittany only shrugged and reached further, until with a click, the room was bathed in light.

The florescent bulbs overhead flickered a few times as they woke up from probably months of disuse, and she could see Santana visibly relax.

Interesting.

"Oh, thank goodness." Santana sighed, turning off the flashlight. She looked quickly around the room. "So, what's next?"

Brittany turned a sideways smile towards Santana. "You're not going to ask me why I know what you're looking for?"

"Do you?"

Brittany shook her head. "Not really." She said, truthfully.

"Well, then we're even. When we do find it, we'll both be in for a surprise. Honestly, in my line of work, you get used to strange coincidences."

Brittany laughed softly. Initially, she'd just thought Santana was the most gorgeous woman she'd ever seen. But now she was talking to her, and getting to know her, she knew that that was only the tip of the iceberg. She had to learn more.

Santana was now walking from wall to wall, tapping each one, and listening to the echo. Brittany already knew which wall was blocking the hidden room. There was a slight change in the air pressure on the far wall about fifteen feet down on her left. But Santana tapping and listening with her ear pressed up against the wall was so cute, she didn't bother to try and stop her.

Following close to Santana, she leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms, and smiling brightly at her.

"And what line of work is that?"

Santana paused, biting her lip in concentration as she pushed her ear against the cold concrete of the wall.

"I'm Santana Lopez." She said, after a moment, her voice in a haughty tone.

Brittany furrowed her brow. Was the name supposed to mean something to her?

"Oookay. I'm Brittany Pierce. Nice to meet you."

Santana stopped, and looked at Brittany accusingly. "Are you telling me you never heard of me? Santana Lopez? Santana Lopez is Not Normal?"

"Aw, no, I'm sure you're plenty normal. I mean, you seem normal to me. I know a lot of weird people, and-"

Santana sighed, running her fingers through her hair and turning to full face Brittany. "Santana Lopez is Not Normal is my podcast. I host a paranormal podcast. It's pretty popular, actually. We have about 10,000 unique visitors every night from all over the world."

Brittany didn't really know enough to be impressed. She didn't even own a computer. "Whoa, that's awesome! Wow, really, really cool."

Her tone was sincere, but she wasn't sure she was fooling Santana, who turned back to her wall and continued tapping.

"It's fine. Whatever, it's only, like, one of the top five paranormal podcasts out right now."

Brittany could feel she was blowing whatever this was, so she tried again.

"No, that's really nice. I mean, you like it right? So, you're following your ambitions. I really respect that."

Santana stopped her tapping again, and looking at Brittany, gave her a soft smile.

"Yeah, thanks." She resumed her tapping. "Anyway, if you get a chance you should check it out. We're always doing stuff like this, you know? Going into abandoned mental institutions, cemeteries, cornfields. We do some satellite shows to keep it interesting."

"We?" Brittany bit her lip in thought. Suddenly recognition dawned on her face. "Oh, that short, loud brunette, and the cute girl with the afro."

This time Santana stopped tapping and eyed Brittany suspiciously, taking a few steps away.

"How long were you watching us?" She said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, well, not long. I was just. I mean…"

Brittany trailed off. If her goal was to keep Santana from suspecting anything was up with her, she was doing a terrible job.

"Your friend is just really, really loud."

Santana's eyes widened softly, and her face broke into a grin. "She is, isn't she? God, can you imagine? I lived with her for a summer one year, and I was ready to slice my ears off. Worst mistake of my life."

Brittany breathed a soft sigh of relief as Santana turned back to the wall and started tapping again.

She put her hands into her pockets, kicking gently at the dust bunnies that littered the floor.

"How will you know if you've found it?" She happened to know that Santana was physically as far from the hidden room as she could possibly be, but she wasn't in a rush. She liked chatting with her.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure. I did this in an old elementary school that was supposed to be haunted out in Roanoke. We didn't find the secret room, but at least i know what it's supposed to sound like."

Brittany only nodded gently, and slowly made her way over to the wall that she knew hid the chamber. She looked around the ridge of the wall. Looking closely, she saw that the area had been grouted and painted over, but there remained the smallest of spaces separating the hidden wall from the rest.

Brittany could feel the slight change in pressure surrounding the door, and if she listened closely she could hear the faint whine of wind, gusting through the cracks.

She tapped on the wall a couple of times for good measure, testing Santana's technique. Surprisingly, a deeper and more hollow sound answered back to her.

"That's it!" Yelled Santana excitedly, marching across the room to join Brittany. "That sounded weird, didn't it? I think you found it."

Brittany shrugged. "Lucky guess, I think."

"Well, it doesn't matter, we've got to find out how to open it."

Brittany was already running her fingers over the edge of the wall, while Santana watched her closely. She was feeling for a depression, or dip that she could push in and slide the door out. She was only guessing that there would be one, but it seemed like a safe bet.

Behind her, Santana eyed the door carefully, and then took several steps forward to stand next to Brittany. She scrunched her brow, and reached down to a spot next to the door, and nearer to the floor.

Suddenly there was a shift, and Brittany could hear ancient gears turning. Dust began to rain down around them, and she took a step back, placing her arm out in front of Santana. The panel began to open and the wall slowly creaked aside.

The room inside was pitch black, but the harsh lights of the florescent bulbs spilled inside. Brittany could see almost everything as clear as day. Shelves upon shelves with books slowly turning to dust. A wooden desk and chair sitting in a lonely corner. The desk was covered in jars both big and small holding buttons seeds, and one even filled with marbles. And standing in the center, a tattered old podium with an ornate box sitting on top.

Santana pulled the flashlight back out of her pocket, and shined the light inside, her breath catching as the light shone upon the podium.

"That's it." She breathed.

"What is 'it'?" Brittany responded, her arm still mostly wrapped protectively around Santana's waist.

Santana turned towards her with a mysterious glint in her eye. "Let's find out."

As she took a step forward, the door wrenched open behind her, and Brittany didn't have to turn to know who it was.

"Mike…" She began, stepping between Santana and the quickly opening door.

"I was looking all over for you, Britt! Thank goodness I happened to be nearby when all that racket started. Did you find it? Who's that?"

Mike seemed to be talking a mile a minute, and Brittany put her hands up to slow the flow of words, as they seem to have gotten away from him.

"Mike…"

Mike was across the room, and next to her in an instant. "Brittany, who is that? Are you kidding me? You brought someone else into this? Who is she? Where'd she come from?"

Santana tried to take a step towards Mike, but Brittany's arm stopped her.

"Maybe I'm the one that should be asking the questions around here, you ever think about that? Who the hell are you? "

Mike, confused, took a step back, and then looked around Brittany and Santana to the open door.

"What the… You found it, Britt! Sue is going to be so happy when we bring it back to her. We're going to be heroes!"

"Mike…" Brittany said again warningly.

"You bring it back? Think again, Grabby McGrabberpants. Brittany and I found this thing, and you're not taking it."

Brittany could feel the tips of her ears turn red at the thought of Santana thinking of them as a 'Brittany and I', and lost in thought, was unable to keep Mike from maneuvering around her and Santana, and into the room.

"Hold up." Santana went in after him, leaving Brittany to follow.

Mike was already holding the chest that had, up until a few moments ago, sat on the podium, and was turning it over in his hands.

"Wow, this is much smaller than I thought it would be."

Santana reached over, and tried to grab the box, finding that Mike held it out of her reach far too quickly.

"Are you kidding me?" She reached over his body, spinning in circles, as he moved to keep it out of her reach. "Britt, help me out, here. "

Brittany had to smile at the scene, and reached behind Mike before he could notice, taking the box from his hands. Mike had to have already realized that Santana was human, and was now just toying with her. But Mike was a nice guy, he wouldn't hurt her. Brittany knew that.

"Are you kidding, Brittany?" He said, his brow furrowing, and a dark look crossing over his features. "We're taking that back to Sue."

"I don't know who Sue is, but she'd better get used to disappointment, 'cause that thing belongs to me."

Brittany wiggled the box close to her ear, and frowned.

"Actually…" She began.

"There you are!" The voice sounded behind Brittany who (unsurprisingly) had been too caught up to notice.

Brittany caught a glimpse of Santana's eyes widening before turning and seeing one of the most ridiculous people she's ever met.

He was wearing a red houndstooth blazer, with the pants to match, bright blue shirt, and a pink bowtie. She didn't think she'd ever seen a person wear this much hair gel. She could literally smell it from all the way across the room.

"Blaine!" Santana shrieked behind her, stomping towards the door.

Brittany almost cringed at the force of Santana's advance on the poor man. She turned to catch Santana, and the box clattered to the ground behind her, bouncing over the threshold, but staying closed.

"That's it, isn't it?" Blaine gasped, moving into the room, towards the box.

"Brittany, we need to get a move on. I'm not feeling so hot." Mike said behind her.

Santana was still struggling in Brittany's arms, and grasped at her shirt in a futile attempt to get at Blaine.

"If I get my hands on you Bow tie, I'm going to make you wish you were never born. How dare you? Following me, now? That's low, even for you."

Santana kicked her legs as she almost crawled over Brittany's shoulder. Brittany only sighed, turning her further away from the open door.

"I didn't follow you, Santana. I was contacted by Will, who sent me here. I would have thought you were following me if I hadn't already seen the drawer open and the Kresnick papers just strewn about. Which was very irresponsible of you." Blaine said.

"Irresponsible? Blaine, when I get over there…" Santana didn't finish her threat before she began thrashing wildly again.

"Britt?" Mike called, his voice a bit softer.

Brittany didn't have time to respond before a wild kick from Santana crashed against a the desk, sending one of the jars flying. It crashed to the ground, shattering open and sending a rain of buttons everywhere.

Suddenly the room was closing in on Brittany. Her eyes were glued to the floor where the buttons lay. Her grip on Santana became tight and still.

"Brittany, are you okay?" Santana asked, noticing the change almost immediately, and ceasing her struggle for a moment.

Brittany didn't say a word, and immediately squatted down on the ground, and with Santana over her one shoulder, began to use her free hand to gather up the buttons, ignoring Santana's pleas from behind her.

"Brittany! Brittany, he's getting the box!"

Santana squirmed madly, but Brittany was in another world.

"55...56...57...58...59...60...61"

"Have fun with your new friends, Santana. And thanks for being… What was it you called it? My 'designated dream team'?" Blaine was already moving quickly towards the door, the smell of hair gel still heavy in the air.

Brittany could barely hear him behind the buzzing in her ears. She knew that it wouldn't stop until she finished with all the buttons, so she didn't bother to turn as Santana continued pounding on her back. Nor did she stop when there was a crash behind her.

The pounding on her back stopped.

"Uh, Brittany?"

Santana's voice sliced through the buzzing.

Weird.

Brittany turned slightly to the left, and saw Mike on the floor, books sprawled everywhere, some even across his body. To her right, the grinding of the gears started as the panel began to slide closed. The mechanism for the door inside the room must have been hidden among one of those books that Mike had just dislodged.

Her moment of indecision; Santana frantically yelling at her side, Mike, whimpering desperately in the corner, the door closing, Blaine (what kind of name was that for a person?) scurrying away with the box, and the buttons (those damn buttons), taunting her from the floor, they all combined to offer enough distraction that by the time she was standing, with Santana beside her, the door was closed.

She could hear Santana's heart rate skyrocket, and her breathing pick up as well. Almost unconsciously, Brittany reached her hand out and took Santana's.

The room was pitch black, and Santana scrambled with her free hand for the flashlight. There was a faint sliver of light from the crack around the outside of the door that was enough to illuminate the room for Brittany. She could see Santana digging frantically in her pockets and pulling out the light.

She looked again at the door, and saw what had caused Mike to collapse. The back of it was covered in a large cross, engraved into the wood, and beside that, the Star of David.

"Shit!" Santana said beside her.

Through all of her fumbling the flashlight slipped out of her hands, and rolled away. Santana pulled out of Brittany's hands and went to her knees, feeling out in the darkness.

Brittany turned back to the pile of buttons. She did the math quickly in her head. If she started now, she could be done counting and collecting them in 3.6 minutes. Mike could last that long, couldn't he? She went to her own knees beside Santana, but facing the other way, and began grabbing with both hands, mumbling the numbers as fast as she could go.

Santana's hand drifted over her's and Brittany gasped at the contact.

"What is it, Brittany? Did you find the flashlight?"

Santana's voice was small and desperate and Brittany suddenly couldn't focus. The room felt stifling, but the buzzing in her ears, which had risen in volume, suddenly was down to a whisper. She stopped the movement of her hands (no small feat), and turned her head towards Santana.

She had a frown on her face that Brittany could have spotted a mile away and her eyes were wide with fear.

She doesn't like the dark.

I've got to get her out of the dark.

For the first time in a long time, Brittany forgot about the pile of spilled objects on the floor, and moving quickly, reached out for Santana's hand again.

"Don't worry, Santana. I've got it." She shifted a bit, and grabbed the flashlight with her other hand, quickly flicking it on.

Santana breathed a sigh of relief as the room was filled with light. She put a hand to her forehead, wiping away some of the perspiration there. She turned to and Brittany's breath almost caught again with the shy but grateful smile that beamed back at her.

Brittany squeezed her hand gently at the silent gratitude.

Suddenly, Santana's grin turned into a frown as she swung the light over to Mike who was still curled up on the ground.

"Is your friend okay?" She asked, her voice still a little shaky.

Brittany, who up until a moment before, had been lost in Santana's deep brown eyes, cleared her throat and gestured vaguely around.

"Yeah, no, he's fine. Just super claustrophobic."

That seemed to satisfy Santana, and she started shining the light around the room. She still stood close to Brittany, holding her hand tightly.

"Now we've just got to figure out how we're going to get out of here."

Brittany kneeled down on the floor, keeping her hand in Santana's as she began to gather up the buttons again.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Your friends are coming." She said, distractedly.

Santana looked down to where Brittany squatted on the floor, eyes narrowing. "How do you know?"

Before she could answer, there was a booming voice on the other side of the hidden door.

"Santana? Are you in there? We came back and you were gone, and we assumed you'd left without us, which would certainly be your modus operandi, so to speak, and then we saw Blaine running out with some kind of oddly decorated and yet ornate container, and then we ran in, and we thought that perhaps-"

Santana moved over to the panel, pressing her body nearly flush against it. "Berry, you have two seconds to open this door, otherwise I'm going to rend your flesh from your bones and wear your skin like a bathrobe."

Her voice was low and growly, and Brittany felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

There was murmuring at this, and a few moments later Rachel (Brittany would hear that voice in her sleep) spoke up again.

"Is it dark in there, Santana?"

Santana sighed, resting her forehead on the panel.

"Yes." She said quietly.

There were no more murmuring, and Rachel spoke up again almost immediately.

"How do I get in?"

"There's a panel at the bottom left of the door, almost at the floor, you can feel for it, or see it if you look carefully. Press it in, and the door will open."

After a few moments, the gears began to turn again, and the door inched open, the light filling the room with harsh brightness. Brittany blinked a few times to get used to it.

As soon as there was enough space, Santana rushed out the door, running right into Rachel, who opened her arms to her. Rachel held her for a few moments, and then Santana moved out of her arms, shaking her shoulders as if she'd had something she wanted to shake loose.

As the door locked open, Mike began to stir, and Brittany knew she had to go help him up, but she instead went back to the pile of fallen buttons.

"Just give me a sec, okay?"

No one replied as Brittany carefully gathered the buttons, placing them in an empty jar on the table.

"There." She said, triumphantly.

"Who is your friend, Santana? She's weird."

Santana, who was now mostly recovered from her little scare, scowled at Rachel. "Then she'll fit right in. I guess."

She turned and smiled at Brittany, who smiled right back.


	4. The Thing About Stakeouts

_Thanks for reading!_

* * *

Santana was feeling a lot of different emotions at the moment.

She was angry with Blaine, who'd run off the with the box before she'd even gotten a chance to look inside.

She was a little weirded out by Brittany's friend Mike who talked entirely too fast, and always looked like he wanted to start dancing.

She was annoyed with Rachel who wouldn't stop acting like just because they'd hugged, they were, like, best friends or something.

She was confused by Will and why he'd sent them down there only to not show up himself and possibly told Blaine about it too.

She was grateful to Jane, who'd managed to get them all wrangled, upright, and actually found something productive for Berry to do (sort through the books that were in the room they'd found).

And then there was Brittany. Brittany made Santana feel a lot of things. Yes, she was interested, and more than a little confused, but she also felt a happy zing whenever Brittany looked at her, and couldn't help smiling when she smiled.

Santana knew that the way she was reacting to Brittany wasn't normal. But she got the feeling that they way Brittany reacted her her wasn't normal either. And that she could deal with. Being close to her in that basement room was also making it hard to concentrate on what he really wanted to do: strangle Rachel.

But thanks to Jane, Rachel had been in the corner, thumbing through books while the rest of them sat outside while Mike caught his breath, and the rest of them thought up a new plan.

"Well, he's long gone by now." Jane said, sighing and pulling her knees to her chest where she sat on the dusty ground.

Santana probably should have been incensed. Granted, she was angry, and annoyed, and probably a little worried, but mostly she was distracted. She was distracted by Brittany, and she had yet to figure out if that was a good or a bad thing.

"I still don't see why you didn't go after him." Mike moaned, still reclining on the floor against a box. "You could have caught him easily."

Santana watched carefully as Brittany rolled her eyes. "I was otherwise indisposed, Mike, just like you were."

She didn't mention the cross and he didn't mention the buttons, but they both knew what she meant.

Mike sighed.

"Plus, I couldn't leave Santana alone."

Santana felt a jolt at that. Why would Brittany be worried about her? They had just met, and barely knew anything about one another. She didn't know how to respond to that, so she just ran her hand through her hair, cracking her neck loudly.

"Berry, are you still mucking around in there? We've got to get out of here."

Rachel peeked her head out of the door, her hair covered in cobwebs. "There's some really interesting stuff in here, actually. Nothing related to the paranormal, but I think you'll find the the library would do well to add these works to their collections. In point of fact, I discovered a rather interesting tome-"

"Can it, Berry. The prize is with _Blaine_ , not in these dusty books. We've got to catch him before he takes my scoop."

Jane shifted uncomfortably. "Well, technically, it was _his_ scoop, and we stole it from him."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Well, now you're just splitting hairs. _We_ found it, _we_ earned it. End of discussion. Let's go, Dwarf."

Santana's voice was clipped. She was still a little shaken from their time stuck behind that wall. She had to get over this stupid fear of hers. It's not like she didn't know what caused it. And it was ridiculous for a person who spent so much of her time traipsing around old, empty factories, (and not five years old) to be afraid of the dark. She thought she did a good job hiding it, but Rachel, Mercedes and Sam all knew, and she was sure that Jane was starting to figure it out. She shook herself and motioned to Rachel again.

"Let's go, Rachel."

"Actually, it doesn't matter much at this point."

Everyone turned and looked at Brittany, who had just spoken up. Even Rachel stopped dusting her arms and shoulders off to look in Brittany's direction.

"What do you mean, Britt?"

The nickname came out effortlessly, and Santana hadn't really thought about it, but it had felt nice rolling off her tongue.

 _Not the only thing you want to roll off your tongue_.

Santana blinked against the intrusive thoughts, and focused on Brittany, but tried to make it seem like she wasn't focusing too hard. It wasn't easy.

"The box was empty."

Everyone looked around quickly. That couldn't be right.

"No way. You saw that room when we opened the door. Nobody had been inside of it for years. A century, maybe." Santana said, advancing on Brittany, accusatorily.

Brittany just shrugged, not backing down, but looking Santana right in the eye. "It was empty. I listened really close after I'd taken it from Mike. Sorry Santana, but your princess is in another castle."

Brittany winked at this to lighten the mood, but couldn't miss the deep scowl that covered Santana's features.

The rest of the room broke into pandemonium. Mike was yelling something about Sue. Well, moaning really, because he didn't completely have his strength back. Rachel was yelling something at the both of them, but Santana couldn't really make it out. Even Jane was talking to everyone, halfway between trying to calm them down, and wondering where the real artifact was. It was all very loud, and very distracting.

Yet, somehow, she kept her eyes on Brittany, and felt her do the same. She looked deeply into Brittany's eyes; watching closely as the bright blue reflected back at her.

She could see a lot in those eyes. There was a lot that was still a mystery. But somehow she got the very distinct impression that she could always trust her. She didn't know Brittany that well. Or at all. But the way those eyes met hers made her feel as if she were wrapped up in a big blanket made from the softest wool in the world. She felt safe. She felt secure.

Santana put her hand up for silence. "Fine. If Brittany says it's not in there, it's not in there. Jane. You and Rachel stay here and sort through this stuff, anything you need, take. Mike will help you, but he'll be sure not to take one step inside. Brittany, you'll come with me, and we'll go see Will. Or Blaine. I haven't decided which one first, and we'll figure out what they know. By any means necessary."

Santana had meant that last part. Brittany had held her like she weighed nothing at all, and certainly seemed to be able to handle herself. She knew the two of them would be able to figure out what Blaine was up to. Though, Will might be more of a challenge.

The racket started up again with everybody complaining about their assignments. Rachel didn't want to be stuck down there in the ratty basement, Jane wanted to help them confront Will, and Mike couldn't figure out why Santana was giving him orders like she ran the place.

Santana waved her hand again, affecting her now-I-mean-business-attitude. "Listen up, for real. You will do as I say, or you will find yourself another job."

Mike opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut as his eyes grazed over Santana's shoulder. She turned and caught the briefest of glimpses of the look that Brittany had been giving him. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Brittany smiled happily at her, taking her hand once again. The pit of Santana's stomach started to wobble dangerously.

"You've got about an hour and a half before the shift changes, and you'll have to be out of here. They do a walkthrough once a shift, and they're sure to come down. So, make like a ghost and boogie."

The others grumbled, and turned back towards the room, Mike peeking in sheepishly from the side.

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand a bit as they walked out of the room, and quickly up the stairs.

"Where'd you park?" Santana said, breathlessly as they walked out the front door, and into the sunshine.

Brittany turned to her, and Santana was dazzled again. The smile on her face was even better than she remembered. It seemed to warm her from the inside out, and she was only barely listening as Brittany brought her to a stop next to a motorcycle parked next to the curb.

She grew a little more concerned when Brittany pulled out an interesting looking helmet and handed it to her.

"Safety first."

Santana's eyes grew wide as she reached for the helmet.

"What exactly is this for?"

"Well, I'm usually pretty careful, but sometimes I like to go fast, so, you know, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Santana would have been embarrassed by Brittany's concern if she wasn't freaking out. This would be her first time on a motorcycle. Not that she was scared or anything. Not exactly. The bike looked like one of those old fashioned Harleys. A person didn't have to lean far back or far forward on it. They just sat comfortably. The body was mostly silver, but the gas tank was bright yellow, and covered in butterflies. The sight brought a smile to her face, even over her nervousness.

"I've never been on a motorcycle before." She said, turning the helmet over and over in her hands.

"Don't worry." Brittany replied, swinging her long leg over the seat, and settling down comfortably. "Just hold on tight to me."

At the sight of Brittany straddling the bike, Santana's mouth went dry. At the thought of herself holding tight to Brittany, as they roared down the street on the bike, the moisture moved somewhere else entirely.

She strapped on the helmet, and moved forward, eyeing Brittany cautiously.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you." Brittany reached for Santana's hand, and pulled her close.

Santana's breath hitched as she looked into Brittany's eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. She was almost hypnotized by them. She cleared her throat again.

"Okay." She said, and then made her move to sit down.

Brittany waited a moment until she was comfortable, and then pulled Santana's arms until they were wrapped around her own body.

Santana felt her face flush at the idea of being so close to Brittany. She was pressed tight against her back, and her arms were wrapped around her stomach. Only an inch or two lower… Santana quietly chastised herself. She needed to focus, and even though she was finding it difficult, she had to stop thinking about Brittany. This was next to impossible considering she was pressed against her back, with the engine vibrating beneath her, feeling every nook and cranny of the other woman's body, but she would have to try. Santana sighed.

"Where to first?"

Santana thought for a moment, and nodded her head once. "We'll go to Blaine's. Maybe he'll know where we'll find Will, and we can work from there."

Santana caught a flash of emotion on Brittany's face. Not exactly guilt, but something else. She wished she knew her well enough to know what it was. But in the moment, she let it go. The smile returned rather quickly, and after she told Brittany the address, they pulled away from the curb.

Santana didn't bother to ask how she knew how to get there. If Brittany liked to memorize the layout of things, she probably knew the layout to the city. It was easy enough to figure out anyway. She pressed her face against Brittany's back as they took a particularly sharp turn, and could hear Brittany chuckle in front of her. She didn't feel great admitting it to herself, especially since she'd basically abandoned Rachel and Jane, but she was having an amazing time.

This is what she lived for. Searching for clues, solving mysteries, shedding light on topics that most people didn't even think about. She loved it. And now, Brittany. Brittany was a mystery that she couldn't wait to crack. She wanted to find out everything about her, and get to know her. She wanted to find out what made her happy and what made her laugh, and what made her cry. She was intrigued, but more than that, she was just really, really happy to spend time with her.

The thought hit Santana like a ton of bricks. She'd only known the woman for a couple of hours, and yet she had this irresistible urge to try and spend all of her hours with her. She couldn't understand it, and it kind of worried her. She didn't want Brittany to think she was weird, or obsessive or something.

Santana took a few deep breaths. Anyway, once they found the artifact, it would all be over. Though, if Brittany decided that she wanted to take it and give it to Sue after all, Santana wasn't sure how she'd stop her. Maybe after Santana finished doing the week of shows on it, they could give it to Sue. It wasn't like she wanted to keep it forever. And she'd rather Sue; and by extension, Brittany, have it rather than Blaine. She'd rather drop it in the harbour than give it to Blaine.

She clenched her jaw. _Blaine_. The thorn in her side that'd become a pain in her ass. She'd show him a thing or two.

Another sharp turn, and Santana buried her face deeper into Brittany's back. She could feel the other woman laugh again, even over the feel of the vibrations from the bike.

\

Blaine's had been a bust. He was nowhere to be found, and they'd sat outside of his apartment for almost four hours.

At first they had just sat quietly across from his apartment building. They had left the bike and were sitting on some steps that would give them a clear view of Blaine's place. It was a good spot. They could easily see Blaine's apartment, but there wasn't much foot traffic there to call attention to them. It was okay, but after an hour or so, that got boring, and Brittany started coming up with games.

They played I Spy, and 20 questions, and Boff, Marry, Kill. Finally they played a game where they would make up a backstory for every person that went by. It was Brittany's favorite game, and she had told Santana so, which is probably the only reason they'd played it.

For her part, Brittany was having a wonderful time. They didn't really talk about personal life stuff, but she got to just sit and get to know Santana in a different way. She saw that she liked the color purple, and was good at guessing, and sometimes got a little sad when she saw families walking by with little kids.

She liked learning these things about Santana, but she really wanted to learn more. Like, where she was from, or about her family, or what was her favorite flavor or ice cream. She wasn't sure how she'd ask Santana those things, and not have Santana ask **her** those things. Not because she didn't want to tell her, but because she wasn't sure how she would.

It was possible that she was getting ahead of herself. Maybe this would be the last day that she ever spent with Santana. She didn't want to ruin it. She should just be happy that they had gotten the chance to chat as much as they did.

Her life wasn't one that lent itself to long friendships. Well, for the most part, anyway.

After they'd left Blaine's, Santana had made an effort to find out where Will lived. Brittany knew exactly where Will's place was, but she wasn't going to tell Santana. If she told her, Santana would ask how she knew, and once they got there Will would recognize her, and… Well, that just wasn't a conversation Brittany wanted to have just then. So, she said nothing until Santana had given up, mentioning that Will must be "off the grid". She didn't know where the grid was, and she was guessing that Santana didn't either, otherwise they'd be on their way there.

Now, disappointed, they sat across from each other in a booth at a hole-in-the-wall diner. Santana had picked it out. It was nice because when they came in, everybody called out to Santana like they knew her already. Brittany tried not to hang out at the same places too often. It was okay for the first couple of years, but after that, things would tend to get awkward. She learned that the hard way.

They had been sitting there for a couple of hours, actually, chatting and having a nice time, but Santana's mood had definitely changed. She had been on the phone for the last couple of minutes talking to Rachel. Well, talking was a weak word to describe the intensity of their conversation. They were mostly yelling at each other, and the moments inbetween the yelling were punctuated by Santana groaning loudly, trying (futilely) to interrupt, and rolling her eyes.

Brittany could hear everything from Rachel's end, but didn't make any comment until Santana hung up the phone.

"They finished at the library and went back home. Your friend, Mike said he'd get back on his own."

"Uh huh. I figured. It's late." Brittany said, around a mouthful of pancakes with sprinkles.

Santana slammed her fist into the table. "Dammit."

Brittany swallowed, considering her for a moment.

"You believe me, right?" She said, her voice suddenly serious and clear.

Santana blinked slowly, returning Brittany's stare. "Huh?"

"About the box. About the box being empty."

Santana looked carefully over Brittany's face before nodding her head. "Yeah. I told you I did."

"Then forget about Blaine, and Will. The answer is in that room. Or was. Whoever took it, left the box for us to find. They knew that would buy them some time. Now, we just have to figure out who came in before us, and we'll know for sure. Easy."

Santana smiled gently. "Yeah, super easy." She said, her voice thick with sarcasm.

Brittany smiled back as she watched Santana drink her coffee. She was glad she'd lightened the mood, though she was feeling a bit pessimistic, herself. Sue wouldn't be happy if she knew that Brittany had missed her chance to get the artifact. And if Sue wasn't happy, then Quinn wouldn't be happy. Brittany sighed softly.

"Who's Sue?"

Santana's question came out of the blue sky, but it felt like her mind had just been read. Brittany balked for a moment, and then shrugged.

"She's like my boss."

" _Like_ your boss? What does that mean? Does that mean she's your boss?"

Brittany shrugged again. "Well, it's not like a job. More of a club."

"A club? What kind of club?"

"A social club."

Santana furrowed her brow. Brittany could see she was trying to understand, but didn't have much information to go on. "A social club? Like the Shriners?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Brittany's tone had become clipped and quick. She didn't want to get upset, but she didn't want to talk about Sue with Santana. Santana was awesome, and fun, and everything that Sue wasn't. She wanted to forget about her clan for a few hours, and just enjoy this moment.

Santana looked away guiltily. "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to."

Brittany started, got up quickly from her side of the booth, and moved over to sit next to Santana.

"No! It's not that, it's just… Well, I'm not really happy there, you know?"

Santana looked closely at her, ducking her head to meet her eyes, her own bright with understanding. "Yeah, I know how that is."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I grew up… well… all over the place. And, I never really felt I belonged until I was a bit older."

Brittany nodded, hoping Santana would continue.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but her phone rang again.

"Hold on a sec. I've got to take this." She said, looking down at the caller ID.

Brittany nodded, and slid back out of the booth, settling herself on the other side once again. She pretended to focus on her pancakes, and had really tried to, but she was so desperate to learn more about Santana, she couldn't help but overhear her conversation.

"Hey Mercedes."

 _Santana! Where are you? I just talked to Rachel, and she told me about that room y'all got stuck in. Are you okay?_

"Yeah, Cedes, I'm fine, don't worry."

 _And now you're off somewhere, running around the city with some woman you just met? Rachel told me that her friend told her that she rides a_ motorcycle _. A motorcycle, Santana? Do you know how dangerous those are?_

"Don't get your panties all in a twist. We went to Blaine's and now we're at Pop's Diner, okay?"

Brittany could almost feel the relief on the other side of the line.

 _Thank god. When are you going to be home?_

Brittany watched Santana's eyes flicker over to her for a moment.

"Not sure, maybe a bit longer."

 _Santana-_

"It's _fine_ , Mercedes. I'm fine. Don't worry, okay? I'll be home later."

Santana didn't bother to wait for a response, pressing the end call button firmly.

Brittany quickly turned her attention back to the pancakes, but as good as they were, this was her third short stack, and she really wasn't sure she could eat anymore. She tried to pretend that she hadn't been paying attention to Santana's conversation, but a quick look across the table told her that Santana wasn't buying it.

"Do you need to get back?" Brittany mumbled. She could barely keep out the sadness that was creeping into her voice.

"Nah, it's okay. It's only six. It's not even dark. She'll be okay."

"Was that your mom?"

Santana laughed good naturedly. "Sometimes she thinks she is. But no. She's my, um…" Santana seemed to search around the diner for the words that she wanted to use.

"My uh…"

"Your Mercedes."

Brittany gave Santana her best smile. She wanted to show her that it was okay. That she could open up to her. Or that she didn't have to if she didn't want to.

The frown that had appeared on Santana's face faded, and a smile replaced it.

"Yeah, she's my Mercedes. But, I still don't have a car."

Brittany spit out the water she had started drinking, and slapped her hand over her mouth, she was laughing so hard.

Santana, seeing her reaction, laughed as well, and handed her a napkin, to clean up the mess.

"Cheesy, Santana."

"The cheesiest."

Brittany stopped wiping the table for a moment, and looked at Santana. She'd spent a lot of time studying her since they'd met, but every time she looked at her, she saw something new. It made her want to dance, and sing and… Well, other things. Every curve of her face, the dark amber of her skin, the wave of her hair. Everything called out to Brittany. She couldn't tear her eyes away.

"You know, it's rude to stare."

Brittany grinned. "I seem to remember someone telling me that before."

"Well, if someone would stop staring, I wouldn't have to."

"I can't." Brittany said, seriously. All the laughter was gone now.

Santana looked up and met her eye. Brittany watched her throat move as she swallowed.

"Can't what?"

Brittany reached a hand over the table, and put hers on top of Santana's. "Stop staring."

There was a beat, and Santana licked her lips quickly. Brittany watched the pink dart out and back into her mouth with fascination.

Suddenly there was a crash. The waitress, who Santana had introduced her to as Dottie, slammed down a fresh carafe of coffee onto the table. Santana snatched her hand away and put it into her lap.

"Want me to take those plates away for you?"

Brittany waited another beat before smiling at Santana, and sending that same smile up to Dottie.

"That would be lovely, Dottie, thanks! And bring us the bill when you get the chance."

Dottie nodded, grabbed the plates, and scurried off.

Santana had brought up her phone and was mumbling quietly to herself.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Santana said to her phone.

Brittany poured Santana another cup of coffee, and drummed her fingers on the table. She stopped suddenly.

"I want to show you something."

Santana tapped her phone a few more times. She didn't look up until Brittany leaned over across the table and tugged on her sleeve.

Finally she sighed, meeting Brittany's eye, and sliding her phone into her pocket.

"Show me what?"

"C'mon."

Brittany slipped out of the booth, and standing up, pulled Santana along with her. She left a couple of twenties on the table, yelling after Dottie to keep the change, and pushed her way out the door.

"Our bill was only like eight dollars. You left way too much."

Brittany shrugged. She didn't go out to eat often, and she probably caused a lot of trouble with her request for rainbow sprinkles pancakes, which weren't even on the menu.

"It's okay. She earned the tip."

She turned to look at Santana again, and watched with fascination as her eyes softened when she looked at her. Walking over to her bike, she handed Santana a helmet, and put one on herself.

"Let's go have some fun before you have to get home. I don't want to get in trouble with Mercedes."

Santana laughed as she put the helmet on again. "You don't, trust me. She'd never forgive you."

"Then I'll just have to take really good care of you." Brittany smiled up at Santana. The weird thing was she didn't even have to think about it. Her heart hadn't felt so happy in a long time. She wanted to dance, to sing, she just wanted the evening to never end, and she wanted to spend as much time with Santana as she could. She hadn't felt that way since…. Well, she wasn't sure if she'd ever felt that way. She felt protective of Quinn, and she cared about her a lot, but this was a different feeling. It felt more, she wasn't sure how to describe it. Like a fire that was burning in the pit of her stomach. But in a good way.

She climbed back on the bike, and waited for a moment for Santana to climb in behind her, her arms wrapping around her waist, like she was meant to be there before she pushed off of the curb and pulled off.

\

Santana didn't know how long they'd driven around the city. At first, she thought they were going to stop somewhere specific, but Brittany just kept driving. She had been pointing out really interesting buildings and bridges, but stopped even doing that, content to just drive in the cool evening air, while Santana snuggled closer and closer. It was hard to hear anything over the roar of the engine, and harder still to feel anything over the vibration of the bike, but she pulled tight to Brittany and that was all she needed.

Every once in a while Brittany would pull to a stop, and they'd hop off the bike to check out a cool little bar, or the fountain from 'Friends'. Brittany took her to this little park that seemed empty, but once they'd turned the corner, had exploded with people. They sat there for a long time watching an amazing pick-up basketball game.

The feelings that had bubbled up inside her towards Brittany didn't seem to be receding, and Santana was a little worried. This was way too much, way too fast, and she knew it. She wasn't a kid anymore. But, there was something about Brittany that she couldn't resist. It excited and enthralled her, but it also worried her. She didn't know anything about Brittany. What if she was some sort of criminal, or killer or married or something? What if she got her sick jollies off by making women like her have feelings for her, and then running off into the night? Santana wasn't naive, but she wasn't a corpse either. Anyone lucky enough to have Brittany staring back at them like they were the most wonderful thing in the world would have felt the same way.

So, they drove. It seemed like hours, and finally Brittany came to a stop. They were back nearby Pop's Diner, but not exactly in front. Brittany popped the kickstand up from the bike, and gestured for Santana to stand up.

"You said we were only a few blocks from your house, so I figured we could walk from here, maybe stretch our legs a little bit?"

Santana nodded, and took Brittany's hand from where she stretched it out. Santana took the phone out of her pocket and saw that it was almost midnight. She had ten missed calls from Rachel, one from Jane, and even one from Sam. The name that she really dreaded didn't show up until the end, as a text message.

Mercedes: Tell me ur ok

Santana took a moment, looking down at her screen as Brittany guided her, and returned the message.

I am ok.

She put the phone back in her pocket, and took Brittany's one hand in both of hers. Her hands were warm from having kept them in either her own pockets, or Brittany's the entire evening, but she felt the chill on Brittany's fingers.

"Your hands are cold."

"Yeah, they kind of get like that. It's okay. But, I don't mind you holding my hand like that, if you want to."

Santana smiled. She could see the slight tinge creep up Brittany's features. She loved watching her blush. She wished she could do more to make her blush.

Jogging up a little to match Brittany's stride, she pulled their clasped hands closer, until Brittany's arm was wrapped around hers.

Brittany gave her a sideways grin.

"What are you thinking?"

Santana thought for a moment. "I'm wondering who you are, Brittany Pierce."

The comment made Brittany raise her eyebrows.

"I mean, you show up and lead me exactly where I needed to go. You helped me get out of a sticky situation. You knew exactly what I couldn't have known about the box, and saved me a wild goose chase. You drove me around the city, and even paid for my lunch. You're just… I dunno. You're just too good to be true."

Brittany laughed. "If it weren't for me, Blaine wouldn't have gotten away with that box."

Santana turned to face Brittany, pulling her even closer, and looking her sternly in the eye. "Britt, that wasn't your fault. It wasn't exactly not your fault, but there's plenty of blame to go around. Maybe I did treat Blaine kind of badly. Maybe. And maybe he had a score to settle. But it doesn't matter now, because we know he doesn't have the artifact, and we just need to find it before he does."

Brittany nodded briskly, and moved to keep walking.

"Brittany."

Santana stayed rooted in the spot. She could feel Brittany trying to move away from her, and she probably would have succeeded too. But Santana couldn't help but give her a pout. There was something she had to know.

"Why are you looking for the artifact? What does it mean to you?"

Brittany looked away, not meeting her eyes. Santana could tell there were about a million things that she wanted to say, but something was stopping her. She freed one of her hands, and placed it over Brittany's heart.

"You can tell me as much or as little as you want to tell me. I just need to know that you won't lie to me. That you won't ruin my chances with this thing. It could mean a lot to us."

Brittany nodded softly, and didn't say anything for another moment. She went to start walking again, and Santana fell in beside her, sliding the hand that was on Brittany's chest to her arm.

After a few moments she cleared her throat. "I don't know what it is. Not exactly. At least, I'm still not sure. Sue sent us after it, she's our boss. And I don't know what she wants with it either. Honestly, I'd feel better if she never found it. Running into you was just fate, or good luck, I guess, because I'm glad it happened. That's all I can say."

All of her breath seemed to leave Brittany at the same time. Santana squeezed her arm a little tighter, trying to transfer some strength to her.

"It's okay, Britt. That's all I have to know."

They walked a few more minutes in silence. Every so often, a couple of blocks away, a car alarm would go off, a horn would blare, or a dog being taken out for a midnight stroll would start barking obnoxiously.

It was nights like this that made Santana homesick for Ohio. That was something she never thought she'd say, but it was true. She hated everything about that small town (except her family), and when she was in high school, she couldn't wait to get out. But the nights there were so quiet. She never heard anything over owl's hooting in the trees. She missed that.

"I'm sorry, Santana."

Santana rubbed Brittany's arm. "It's okay. That's more than enough."

Brittany sighed and pushed the heel of her hand into her eyes. She stumbled a bit when Santana stopped suddenly. She pointed up to a building.

"Here we are."

Santana could tell that if it had been up to Brittany, they would have kept walking forever. But it was late, and she knew that Mercedes would wait up until she came in, and she didn't want to keep her up any longer, considering she had work early that next morning.

"It looks awesome."

Santana laughed. "It was Mercedes' place. I just moved in with her after she'd already picked it out."

"Well, I like it."

They stood for a moment longer, and Santana finally took her hand from Brittany's. She got the strange feeling that she was leaving something important behind. She frowned, but smiled to look back at Brittany.

"I had a great evening."

Brittany only nodded, looking forlornly at the ground.

"You seem like an awesome person." Santana continued.

Brittany nodded again.

"Britt-" she began, lifting Brittany's chin up to meet her eyes. "It's only goodnight."

Brittany's voice hitched. "So, when can I see you again?"

The question was the only thing that Santana had been waiting on. Actual, verbal confirmation that Brittany actually wanted to keep hanging out with her. That she meant something, anything at all, to her. Something that told her that the emotions she was experiencing towards Brittany weren't just one way. Maybe they were in some ways reciprocated.

Santana couldn't help the grin that spread over her face.

"Give me your phone number?"

Brittany looked puzzled. "Phone number?"

"Yeah, to your phone." She replied matter of factly.

Brittany's look went from puzzled to anxious.

"Oh, my phone!" She patted her pockets. "I must have forgotten it."

"Do you think you left it at the library?"

"No, no. Just at home, I must have left it at home."

"Okay, well... " Santana dug around in her purse for a moment, and brought out a pen. She grabbed Brittany's hand, and began writing on it. "This is my number. When you get home, send me a text, and we can set up our next date."

Brittany smiled down on Santana and watched carefully as she marked the numbers into her palm. "So, this was a date?"

Santana stopped writing abruptly, and after a moment continued. She hadn't meant to say that. She wanted to say that, but she hadn't meant to. She finished writing, and looked up at Brittany. Her heart melted a little when she saw the absolute glee in her eyes.

"Would you like to think so?" She replied, quietly.

Brittany gave her a wink. "I'd like that very much."

"Okay then." She clicked her pen closed with a snap, shoving it back into her purse. "In that case, don't forget that text."

Brittany gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Santana laughed, and turned to go up the steps to the front door of her apartment building.

"Santana." Brittany whispered.

Santana turned, one foot already on the steps. She barely had time to plant herself before Brittany was right in front of her. Their bodies almost touching. She felt all the air go out of her lungs. But in a good way.

"Yeah?" She squeaked.

"If this was a date, does that mean I get a goodnight kiss?"

Santana normally would have spent hours contemplating about the consequences of such an action. She would have weighed the pros and cons, and probably made some sort of table or chart. But there was something about the way that Brittany asked that made her want to give her everything.

She didn't hesitate a moment as she turned and wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, pressing her lips against hers.

Santana was standing on the first step which made her the perfect height for meeting Brittany's lips.

Brittany, after a millisecond of surprise, wrapped her arms around Santana's waist, meeting the kiss. It was chaste, all lips and no tongue, but Santana could still feel fireworks behind her eyes. She could still feel Brittany melting into her body. She could feel every inch of her crying out for Brittany's touch.

The kiss ended too soon for her liking, but she had to pull away. She could have kept kissing Brittany all night, but it was getting too much, too intense. She wasn't sure how long she could keep kissing her without wanting more.

Brittany pulled back, the first breath she took almost a gasp.

"Wow, that was…" She began.

"That was something."

"Yep."

They stood there dumbly for a few seconds more, and Santana turned again to go up the steps.

"Santana?"

Santana turned, expecting to find Brittany standing close to her again, but was touched and a little giddy of the sight of her at the bottom of the steps, turning the helmet over and over in her hands.

"Yeah, Brittany?"

"I had a great evening, too."

Santana only smiled, and turned towards the door, opening it and walking through, before turning back and giving a final wave to Brittany.

"Don't forget about our second date." She said, smiling.

"I wouldn't forget about it for the world." Brittany pumped her fist, and waved again, racing down the street, back in the direction of her bike.

Santana smiled too. For the first time in a long time she wasn't thinking about work; the next big mystery, research project, managing Rachel, or dealing with Blaine. She was thinking about someone that made her totally and completely happy. She couldn't wait.


	5. The Thing About First Dates

Two days. It had been two days since Brittany had seen Santana.

She was miserable.

She had gone back to the house that night with a plan for getting a cell phone. She had never thought about having one before. She was well aware of what they did, and how they worked, but she'd just never had anyone to call.

And now she had the most important person to call, and she didn't have one. She'd cursed herself for being so short sighted. The least she could have done was have one and play _Angry Birds_ or something.

She'd gone back to the house that night, and went right away to tell Quinn what had happened. She left out most of the parts with Santana, but made sure Quinn knew that she was still hot on the trail of the artifact.

She was a little surprised that Quinn didn't blame her, but once she'd made it clear that the artifact was never in the box in the first place, there wasn't really any reason to.

The next day she had planned to go out early and buy a phone, but Quinn had insisted that she take Mike out, and get back to the search. Brittany knew Mike was really there to keep an eye on her, so she didn't dare sneak off. She didn't want anyone knowing how close she had gotten to Santana. Granted, it was only for a day, but they didn't really consort with humans. Not in Sue's clan, anyway.

They had gone back to the library, but Brittany wasn't sure where to begin, so they just searched around. Mike was bound to overlook something because he was always going so fast so she didn't leave him this time, but stuck together, which made the search that much slower.

The second day, Quinn suggested to wait around for Will to show up. She and Kurt went his apartment, but Brittany had the feeling that he would be keeping a low profile after what happened the week before. And after a long and uneventful day spent keeping an eye on the place, Brittany had finally just climbed up the fire escape and gone in. She found the apartment almost empty except for a few overturned boxes and trash littering the floor.

She had opened the front door to let Kurt in. He'd refused to climb up the fire escape on the off chance that he might 'ruin his aesthetic'.

"He's long gone." Brittany said with a sigh, kicking a ball of paper across the room.

"Along with any hints as to where the artifact might be." said Kurt, echoing her disappointment.

Brittan let her eyes roam around the apartment once more. "What do you think it does? Really?"

Kurt sighed, picking invisible fibers off of his immaculate suit. "I'm sure I don't know. But I also don't know if I want Sue getting her hands on it."

Brittany nodded without saying a word. She wasn't necessarily on Sue's side on this issue, but she didn't want to be known for outright disrespecting her. She knew what happened to people who did that. It didn't end well.

She led Kurt out the front door, and down the stairs. They got to the curb, and started walking towards the subway station. Brittany had parked her bike there and left it, mostly because Kurt refused to ride on her bike, and underground was really the best way for him to travel.

"Kurt?" Brittany said, stopping suddenly.

"Yeah, Britt?"

"Do you have a cell phone?"

Kurt turned to her, regarding her with a puzzled look.

"Sure, of course."

"Do you think you could help me get one?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Britt. I've just got a prepaid one, it's pretty easy. You can use my account, and we'll just set you up with a phone and a SIM card."

Brittany bounced up on her toes. "Really? Thanks so much! When can we get it, right now?"

Kurt smiled slowly and nodded. "Sure, if you want."

Brittany grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

"You've got someone on your mind? I can't see her clearly, but she must mean a lot to you."

Brittany stopped in her tracks. "Maaaaaybe. But, you can't say anything Kurt, please. I mean, I just met her, and I'm not sure about it, but I just really want to see her again and-"

"It's fine, Britt." Kurt interrupted. "I think it's nice you've found someone. Even if she's a human. She **is** a human, right?"

Brittany dug the toe of her shoe into a crack in the sidewalk. "Yeah."

"Well, then. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too. I'm glad you're so happy. It's about time that you stopped hanging out with Quinn all the time."

"Hey." Brittany said, defensively. "I like Quinn."

"Well, personally, I don't know what you see in her. I've known her for about 75 years, and she still hasn't warmed up to me."

Brittany laughed before she started walking again. "Just give her time. She'll come around."

Kurt snorted (indelicately), and matched his stride to Brittany's.

"What's the deal with you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know you joined up with Sue around the same time as Quinn, when you… You know, started."

Brittany frowned slightly. "Yeah. We did."

"So, then you must know why she is the way she is."

"You're the mind reader, Kurt, you tell me."

"You know it doesn't work like that, Brittany. She keeps me from getting inside her and Sue's head. Your's too for that matter. I think that's the only reason Sue keeps her around."

Brittany disengaged their arms in a huff. "Quinn is amazing. She may not be very strong, but she's awesome."

Kurt lowered his eyes. "I'm not saying she's not, Britt, but you've got to admit she's not a very good vampire."

"No, but there's more to life than being good at that."

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

They walked along for a few more moments in silence.

"She's my friend, Kurt. I love her. I care about everybody in our clan."

"Even Sue?"

"Even Sue." Brittany grimaced. "She's not perfect, but she needs us, and she brought us all together. You all are the closest I have to a family, so I'll do all I can do protect you."

"You're too good for this world, Britt. All the drama, all the pain, all the deceit. I wish there was a better place for you."

"I think there is."

Kurt couldn't miss her soft smile. "You're thinking of your girl, huh?"

Brittany blushed. She **had** been thinking of Santana just now. Even though Kurt couldn't see all of the inner workings of her mind, he was pretty good at guessing what she was thinking. Was she really that obvious?

"Let's just get to the store, so we can buy the phone." She said, anxiously pulling him along faster.

Kurt laughed. "We're going to get you the best one, so you can send pictures and videos and everything. I'm about to introduce you to the fine art of sexting."

"Is that where you use a compass to sail a ship?"

Kurt looked at her for a moment and Brittany met his eye, waiting for him to get the joke. A few seconds later they entered the electronics shop, almost doubled over in laughter.

\

"Santana, I need to use the bathroom."

Sam had been pounding on the door for the last five minutes, but Santana didn't move. She let the water from the shower spray down on her, and opened her mouth occasionally, to fill it with water. Then she spit the water out in little arcs, trying to hit invisible targets that she'd set in her mind.

She wasn't depressed. No, that would be ridiculous. How could she possibly be depressed about someone she just met not calling her after two days? Especially someone as wonderful, as inspiring, and as awesome as Brittany? No, she wouldn't think about all her good qualities. She wouldn't think about that little crinkle she got above her nose when she said something that she thought was extra funny. She wouldn't think about how her hair smelled like sunflowers, or the way her fingers tapped when she was ready to move. She wouldn't think about any of that.

But as she lay in the bottom of the bathtub, her mind kept slipping back to blue eyes, and blonde hair, and a perfect face, and just… Just Brittany.

Santana turned over on her side, and tucked her hand under her chin.

She should have known better than to get too invested in that woman. Granted she was gorgeous, and hilarious, and actually really smart, and adventurous, and just downright perfect. But, she was a stranger. Someone who had almost literally swept her off her feet (actually literally at one point). People like that, people who are too good to be true, usually are.

She drew some shapes into the fog covered the glass of the shower door.

"Santana, come on, you can't hog the only bathroom in the apartment."

Sam's voice had taken on a whiny quality that Santana was having a hard time ignoring.

"Well, why don't you use the bathroom at _your_ apartment, then!" She shouted over the thrum of the shower running.

"Fine. You want to be like that…"

A few moments later the door swung open and Sam marched in, covering the side of his face so he couldn't see Santana, and stopping at the sink.

"Hey!"

"And now you're stuck there until I finish shaving." Sam said, triumphantly, reaching for his shaving kit.

Santana huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, and leaning back hard against the tub. It wasn't like she was worried about Sam looking. She'd known him for years, and he'd never so much as looked in her direction. At first she thought it was because something was wrong with her. Before she knew she was a lesbian (and even a bit afterwards), she always had the feeling that she wasn't quite right. Like, something was wrong in her DNA, something that made people know that she wasn't like other girls. It made her defensive, and it made her angry. Sometimes that feeling poked it's head up, but most of the time she was able to ignore it. But that wasn't it with Sam. He always treated her like a good person. He was one of her closest friends, almost like a brother.

It was only when they were almost out of high school that she realized that Sam didn't just not notice her. He didn't notice any girl. Well, any girl except for one. It was pretty gross the way he looked at Mercedes, and watched out for her. The way that he looked to her for advice, and based his decisions around her. The way that he respected her, and made her laugh. It was downright disgusting, but there was a secret part of her heart that wanted the same thing. Someone who loved her for her, and tried to see the best in her.

So, maybe she was a little jealous of Sam and Mercedes (though she'd never admit it). What could she say? She was a closeted romantic. That didn't meant that she was willing to let Sam just walk all over her.

"Get the fuck out Sam, before I get out of here, and make you leave."

Sam laughed as he began to apply his shaving cream. "The way you've been moping around her for the past couple of days? I doubt it."

Moping? She hadn't been moping. Had she?

"I wasn't moping."

"You were too, moping. Mercedes told me all about your whirlwind romance with the mystery girl. And while I've gotta say I'm happy to see you out there playing the field, I do worry that you might be falling a bit too hard, too fast."

Santana blinked. She had been having the same worries, but she couldn't have Sam thinking that.

"Whatever." She said, noncommittally.

"Why don't you call her?"

Santana sighed. "I don't have her number, dipshit."

"Well, she'll call you eventually. I mean, if it went as well as you were telling Mercedes, she's going to call you."

"And if she doesn't?" Santana couldn't help the pitiful note that crept into her voice. She cleared her throat and waited for Sam's answer.

"Then she wasn't worth it in the first place."

Hot tears threatened Santana's eyes. She blinked a few times to chase them away.

This was stupid. She had literally spent one day with Brittany. Why was she feeling this way? It didn't make any sense. She had to just forget about her. Even if she called right now, Santana wouldn't bother answering the phone. She hated playing games, but Brittany had started it. What a stupid power play. Waiting two days to call her? She would have sworn that Brittany was better than that. Of course, she would have thought she was better than that. Waiting for a phone call that never came. Writing updates to the site, preparing files for the archives, emailing and calling future guests, all while Brittany never left her thoughts. It was almost pathetic. Who was she kidding? It was pathetic.

Santana groaned, and she could hear Sam chuckling over the running water. What an asshole.

"Asshole."

Sam looked like he wanted to turn and say something, but stopped for a moment, cocking his head to the side.

"I think I hear your phone ringing."

Santana wasn't sure how she made it out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, and into her bedroom, in less than ten seconds, but she managed to do it all without A) giving Sam a free show, and B) slipping falling and dying. So, she was pretty impressed with herself.

Sam gave out a little squeak of surprise as she rushed passed him, and out into the hall, slamming her bedroom door behind her.

Santana dived onto the bed, and as she pushed the slider over, the screen went dark, _One Missed Call_ popping up in it's place. She unlocked the phone, dreading that it was Jane or (even worse) Rachel, but she looked and saw an unlisted number.

"Crap." She mumbled.

If it was Brittany there was no way to call her back. Not that it was Brittany. Not that she would even have cared if it was.

Sure.

She sat up slowly from the bed, and began getting dressed. As she slipped her arms into her bra, she was startled as the phone started ringing again.

Santana jumped over the bed, and snatched her phone off of the sheets.

"Hello?" She answered breathlessly.

There was a moment of silence before a chipper voice came through the line.

"Hi! Santana! It's me, Brittany."

Santana leaned back on the bed, trying to slow her heart beat, and sound as casual as possible.

"Brittany…?"

There was another pause.

"Yeah, Brittany, we met at the library the other day?" Brittany's voice was surprised and then sad. "You don't remember me?"

Santana couldn't help the soothing tone that took over her voice. "No, of course I remember Britt, of course. I was just kidding."

Brittany laughed at this, and Santana's stomach did a flip hearing it. "Awesome! I'm so sorry it took me so long to call you. I didn't have a phone, and…"

"You didn't have a phone? I thought you left it at home."

"Well…" Santana could hear the embarrassment in Brittany's voice. "I _did_ have a phone. I think. But I never used it. So, I asked Kurt to help me get another one-"

"Who's Kurt?"

"He's a friend. Well, like my roommate. Or my co worker. Whatever. Anyway, I was wondering if I could see you."

Santana really wanted that. In fact, she couldn't think of anything she wanted more. But she didn't want to seem too eager. Brittany had left her waiting for two days, the least she could do is act as though she had a life.

"I dunno, what time are you thinking?"

"Um, actually, I'm outside your place now."

Santana moved over to the window, parting the curtain so she could peek out. She looked down on the street, and there was Brittany, leaning against her bike, holding the phone to her ear, and waving madly.

"Nice bra, by the way."

Santana instinctively put her hand over her chest and took a few steps back from the window.

"How did you-?"

"I've been eating my carrots, I guess. I want to take you for a ride, and make up for ghosting earlier. Want to take a ride with me?"

"Sure." Santana almost wanted to slap herself for the eager note in her voice. But, then again, she was only a few minutes away from taking off with Brittany on her bike.

"Awesome! I'll be down here. If you need to call me for anything, ever, this is my new number. Save it on your phone. I have you saved on mine."

The innocence, and pure joy in her tone made Santana want to do a happy dance.

"Okay, Britt, I'll be down in a few."

"Great. Bye Santana."

"Goodbye Brittany."

Santana hung up the phone, and went to her closet. Now she only had to find something to wear.

\

Twenty minutes later, Santana walked out of the door to her apartment building. Fifteen of those minutes were spent talking to Sam who kept warning her to take it easy with Brittany. She knew he was just acting as Mercedes' proxy, he had called her as soon as Santana had left the bathroom. She wouldn't be back from work for another half an hour, and insisted on talking to her before Santana left.

Santana suffered the warning, told Mercedes not to worry, and patted Sam's head on the way out the door.

As she strode towards Brittany, she was met with a very loud, very enthusiastic wolf whistle.

"Whoa. You look even better than you did at the library."

"Well, I wasn't really trying my hardest then." Santana said, bashfully.

"Still not as good as the bra and panties, but it'll do in a pinch."

Santana laughed softly, and felt her cheeks heating up.

"Where are we off to?"

Brittany walked close to her.

"It's a surprise." She breathed.

She wrapped her arms around Santana in a tight hug, holding her close.

"Mmm." Brittany sighed.

They pulled away from each other after a moment.

"What was that for?"

"Well, firstly because I missed you."

Santana rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"It's only been two days." She mumbled, reaching for the motorcycle helmet in Brittany's hands.

"Well, yeah, but still. Secondly, I wanted to say I'm sorry. And the best way I know how to say sorry is with a hug."

Santana snapped the helmet on her head with a shrug, and began walking towards the bike. "It's fine. I was busy doing other stuff anyway."

"It's not fine, Santana. I said I was going to call, and then I didn't. I broke a promise to you. And I hate that I did that."

Santana turned back towards Brittany, and studied her for a long moment. There was an earnestness in her face that moved Santana.

Brittany took a step forward and reached for Santana's hand.

"There are a lot of things in my life that I'm not exactly _happy_ about."

Santana didn't like the way she stressed the word.

"But, I'm so happy I met you. When I make a promise to you, Santana, I want you to know that I will keep it."

Santana looked up in Brittany's eyes, and she shivered from the look that was waiting for her there. She nodded quickly.

"Okay, Brittany, I believe you."

Brittany's face finally broke out into Santana's favorite smile, and she lifted her own helmet to her head.

"Great! Let's go. I want you to be back before Mercedes has to start worrying about you."

Santana laughed.

"What?" Brittany said, suspiciously.

"It's just that, she's going to love you so much when you finally meet her."

"So, I get to meet her?"

Santana climbed onto the bike where Brittany had settled in. "If you play your cards right."

\

"There's no way." Santana whispered, her nose pressed up against the side of the glass container. "No. Fucking. Way."

She stressed each syllable, as if to make her point stronger.

"Are you calling me a liar, little lady?"

Brittany looked back and forth between Santana and Mark. They couldn't be more different. Mark was tall and lanky, with light brown hair that he kept in a tight buzzcut. He had caramel skin and bright green eyes. He was a jovial guy who was always ready to make a joke at his own expense.

He had run his store, filled with magicians supplies for almost ten years, but this is the first time in a long time that he brought someone other than Brittany to his dark, dank cellar, filled with more _interesting_ mysteries.

Now, standing before them, was a tank that Brittany already seen a million times, but still wasn't quite sure about. I mean, yeah, the world had some things that science couldn't explain. She was living proof of that. But, this was a bit ridiculous.

"So, you're telling me, that these are the actual feet of Bigfoot? And I'm supposed to believe you?" Santana scoffed.

"Yep. The man who sold me these said that, I had them verified by an authentic Bigfoot scholar."

"Who, Jeffrey Rhodes?"

"You know Jeff?"

"The guy is a hack. I had him on the show last year, and he couldn't even tell me about the last 15 sightings since 2009."

"Wait a second. You're Santana _Lopez_?"

Brittany watched the exchange with fascination. A huge smile spread across her cheeks.

"Santana Lopez Is Not Normal, Santana Lopez?! Holy shit, Britt, you didn't tell me you were here with a celebrity!"

Brittany shrugged, and went back to browsing, allowing Mark to gush to his heart's content. Apparently, Santana's show had only been on for two years, but was really, really popular. Mark and Santana talked about Bigfoot, werewolves, and the time Santana and Rachel had gotten stuck in a grain silo during the live broadcast.

"There's no way she's that annoying in real life."

"There is and she is."

"Wow. This is incredible. Hold on a second. I bought some of your t shirts, would you mind signing one of them?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Santana turned to Brittany as Mark scurried off.

"What?" Brittany said, giving Santana a sly grin.

"What? Nothing, I was just hoping that you wouldn't be too bored."

"Because you're a big time celebrity, huh?"

Santana laughed, sitting on a stool beside where Brittany stood. "Nah, though it is about time you experienced my stardom first hand."

Brittany laughed, and walked closer to Santana, settling in between her legs on the stool, and putting her hands on Santana's hips.

The joking atmosphere disappeared in almost an instant as Brittany watched Santana's pupils dilate, and her breathing quicken.

"I was just thinking about that. Well, something that I wanted to experience first hand, anyway."

Brittany leaned in slowly, but was interrupted by the phone vibrating in Santana's pocket.

Santana ducked her head, and reached into her coat, pulling out the phone and pressing it to her ear, but making sure to never take her eyes off of Brittany.

"Hey... Yeah… Uh huh… Right…"

Brittany kept leaning forward until her forehead was pressed up against Santana's.

"Yeah… Right.. I'm listening. I promise I'm listening."

Brittany hadn't been bothering to note the conversation either, but could hear Mark's footsteps as he made his way down the hall and towards the basement door. She nudged Santana's forehead with her nose, and took a step back.

She wanted to give Santana a chance to recover, but, honestly, she needed the moment too. Brittany rubbed her palms on her pants as she took a step back across the room.

Santana looked at her open mouthed for a moment, and started to say something, but the basement door opened, and Mark stomped down the steps. He was holding a handful of t shirts and gave them to Santana with a Sharpie to sign them.

Brittany took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment before letting it out slowly. She watched the clock on the wall, counting the seconds, to try and regulate her breathing. She had meant to tease Santana a little bit, but being so close to her made Brittany forget herself for a moment.

She looked back over at Santana who was making her way through the pile of shirts, signing each one.

"Left handed, eh?"

Santana looked up to watch her with a smile. "Huh?"

"I mean, you're left handed. That's interesting."

"Yeah, I guess so." Santana said, shrugging.

"No wonder you're so into the paranormal." Mark said, holding up a shirt, and grinning maniacally.

"Maybe, I never really thought about it."

Brittany thumbed over a stack of old books, trying to keep her mind clear. She liked Santana, that wasn't crazy. But was strange was how quickly and powerfully she felt the feelings she did. And then she had to go mess it up by being MIA for a few days, and who knows if Santana would ever forgive her.

Mark gathered up the shirts and made to go back upstairs. "I've got to go lock up the shop, but I'll be back in a little while. Make yourselves at home."

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence as they both pondered the moment that they'd be left alone only a few minutes before.

Brittany cleared her throat. "Who was on the phone? Mercedes again?"

Santana chuckled. "No, it was Rachel. She wanted to check on something about the show. Honestly, I wasn't really listening."

"Distracted much?"

Santana grunted, but didn't meet Brittany's eye.

A part of Brittany was tempted to tease her a little more. Maybe stand a little too close, or touch her arm for a little too long. But she knew what Santana did to her. She wasn't sure if **she'd** ever recover.

"This was a really nice surprise." Said Santana.

"I'm glad you liked it." Brittany walked to the other side of the table from where Santana sat, still perched on the stool. "Santana, I really want to apologize."

Santana furrowed her brow. "Why? About the calling thing-?"

"I don't want you to think that I don't think you're important. I mean- I just mean that I like you. Or whatever."

Santana grinned. "Or whatever?"

Brittany grimaced and tried again. "I mean, I know we've only known each other for a couple of days. But I think you're, um, pretty cool."

"Well, that's nice of you. I think you're pretty cool, too."

"Really?" Brittany perked up, shining a smile at Santana.

"Yeah, really. Anyway, I accept your apology."

Brittany looked at Santana closely. She couldn't see any duplicity or uncertainty in her eyes.

Seeing this, Brittany bounded back around the table and wrapped Santana up in her arms. Like the first time, Brittany knew that it took Santana by surprise, but she was happy when a few moments later Santana relaxed into it.

For her part, Brittany buried her face in Santana's hair, breathing her in. She sighed deeply, trying to commit the fragrance to memory. She felt Santana fully against her chest, her hands wrapped around her waist, her breasts pressed fully into her stomach.

If Brittany could remember this moment forever, she would never be lonely again. She sighed once more, and pulled away slightly, taking in Santana with a measured eye.

"Do you know what you do to me?" Brittany said, barely above a whisper.

A moment later she clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. "I-I didn't meant to say that out loud."

Santana only laughed. "It's okay, Britt. We each think the other person is pretty cool. Plus, we've already had our first date, so I think we can say with some certainty that we might like each other."

"Like?"

"Like, _like_ like."

Brittany broke into giggles. After a few moments, she wiped her eye, and looked at Santana again. "I guess you could say so."

She dropped her arms from around Santana, and reached for her hands.

"Well, the date isn't over yet."

"Oh no?"

"No way! It won't be over until I've had more sprinkle pancakes."

Santana smiled widely. "I think I can handle that."

She stood up.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed again. Santana pulled the phone out of her pocket and frowned as she looked at the message she'd received. She held the phone around so Brittany could see the message as well. It was from a blocked number and it only had two sentences.

 _39th and Powell, 8:30PM. Your prize awaits._

"What does that mean?" Brittany asked.

"I have no idea. But, I have a feeling it might have something to do with the relic we're after."

"Why do you think that?"

"I have a thing about fate, remember?" Santana looked at her watch. "It's already 8:15. We'll need to get going if we're going to get there before 8:30."

Santana reached for her messenger bag, and slung it around her shoulders.

" _We_? You want to take me?"

"Well, I'm certainly not taking Rachel, and you are kind of my partner in crime at the moment."

Brittany blushed slightly. "I'm honored."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be. I'm not what you'd call a people person."

"Well, you're my type of person, so I don't mind."

Santana hesitated for only a moment before grabbing her helmet from the work bench and then taking Brittany's hand.

"Well, that works for me too. Let's go, you're driving."

Brittany only smiled as she allowed herself to be dragged along.


	6. The Thing About Wild Goose Chases

_Holy long ass updates, Batman. Sorrynotsorry._

 _As for the reviewer who asked if there will be Faberry, I will say one thing: I ship three ships from that show. Brittana, Samcedes and Faberry. Others may show up incidentally, but you better believe that's where my heart lies. So, yeah, that's all I have to say about that._

* * *

They pulled up to the curb of a rather sketchy building at 8:30. Brittany kicked down the kickstand of her bike and stood up.

Santana followed after and stretched widely until her back made a satisfying pop.

"What are we waiting on now?" Asked Brittany.

"Not sure. Some kind of signal, I guess."

"Well, I'll keep an eye out."

Santana was already liking this outing a thousand times more than she had any with Rachel. For one, Brittany wasn't complaining because they'd come out to the middle of the Bowery after dark with no real plan. Also, there hadn't been any singing, so she was grateful for that.

Working with Rachel wasn't all bad, otherwise she wouldn't have kept doing it. The dwarf definitely had a nose for the story, and would follow it wherever it led. And even though she was always on about doing things without a proper plan, there's no one that Santana would rather have at her back should something go down. Well, Mercedes obviously, but Mercedes was family, so that didn't really count.

But hanging out with Brittany was simpler, and definitely quieter. She could get used to this.

Santana looked at her watch. 8:31. What were they waiting on?

As if reading her thoughts, her phone buzzed again in her hand. Brittany jogged over, and was at her shoulder as she unlocked the phone.

5th and 72nd. 8:45.

"Goddammit." Santana huffed.

Brittany grabbed the helmet where Santana had laid it on the bike seat and slapped it on the other woman's head.

They took off down the street a few moments later, and then pulled up in a slightly less sketchy neighborhood.

When Brittany stopped the bike, Santana didn't even bother getting off. Brittany got the idea, and put one foot on the ground, steadying the bike, but ready to take off again, should they need to.

Santana wasn't exactly complaining. She was pressed tight up against Brittany's body, and was only a few moves away from being almost scandalously close. She wasn't sure when she'd have another chance to wrap herself up this closely without it being weird, so she didn't hop off the bike quickly like she did last time. She did, however, pull her phone out of her pocket, and hold her arms out in front of Brittany, so they could both see if they received another message.

As the clock on the phone reached 8:45, the phone buzzed almost immediately.

No. 42 Rm. 314

Santana began looking around, but Brittany pointed up immediately. "We just passed it. Three buildings that way."

Without another word, they got off the bike, and began walking towards the building Brittany had pointed to. It was a pretty boring apartment building, brown walls, and high windows, to keep out the riff raff. They climbed the steps, and Santana found the intercom system. She ran her fingers over the names, and found apartment 314, the name plate empty beside it.

She pressed the button once.

The door buzzed, and she pulled it open, raising an eyebrow at Brittany. Whoever had gone to all this trouble certainly didn't want to be found. She wasn't sure what was waiting on her, but she had a good feeling about it. And even if things didn't pan out, she had Brittany there to look out for her. She felt a little bit safer thinking about that.

They walked into the building, the entryway brightly lit, and made their way up the stairs. Reaching the third floor, Brittany put a hand on Santana's arm.

"Wait a sec?"

"What is it?"

Every flight had made Santana more and more excited. If they were close to the artifact, that meant she had a chance. She always loved the next part of uncovering a mystery. That moment of discovery coupled with the triumph of success. It made her feel more in control of her life than she ever had before. It was why she had started SLINN and why she did what she did.

But, at the same time, there was a part of her that didn't want this adventure to end. Finding the artifact would signal the beginning of the end for her and Brittany's adventure. And while she hoped that they'd be able to continue to have something after this was all over, she wasn't sure.

She didn't want to think much more about it. It was like a tiny smudge in the corner of your eye. If you look at it too hard, it disappears.

"I'm just worried about what's behind that door."

If Santana hadn't known better, she would have thought that Brittany was afraid. .

"Okay, fair enough. What do you suggest?"

"I'm going to hang back a bit, out of sight. And if everything is okay, then I'll come in."

Santana thought for a moment. "Okay, that'll work. But, I doubt there's anything to worry about."

Brittany smiled softly. "You really are fearless, Santana Lopez." Her words had a hint of awe in them.

If only Brittany knew how wrong she really was.

"Just wait here, I'll go first."

Brittany nodded, and took a step behind the corner.

Santana went to the door marked 314 and knocked three times. She looked back and saw a wisp of blonde hair disappear from where Brittany was watching her, and felt her heart rate slow a bit.

You can do this.

The door handle turned, and it was all Santana could do to keep herself from pushing into the door, and finding out what all this roaming around was about. A dark blue eye peeked out at her from behind a door chain, and a gravelly voice called out.

"Who's there?"

Santana grimaced. "Um, it's me. Santana Lopez."

"I saw two people when you came up. Who's the other person? Are they vetted?"

Santana was having a hard time following the conversation. "Vetted? Uh, yeah, I guess. Can I come in?"

"Where is your friend?" The voice was persistent.

"She's waiting around the corner. She's going to be the lookout."

"Good! Good. We need someone doing that." The door closed, the chain removed, and the door opened again, wider this time.

"Come in, come in." An arm waved to her, and she shuffled in.

It took a moment for her eyes to get used to the darkness in the room. She quickly turned around and was met with a very scraggly, very rough looking Will Schuester. He was surrounded by books and piles of papers. There were even moving boxes littering the floor of the apartment. It looked that whatever had happened in his apartment had happened very quickly. Suddenly Santana had a very closed in feeling.

"Will?" Santana was at a loss for words at the moment. "What the hell?"

Will was wrapped in a shoddy looking blanket, and motioned for her to come deeper into the room.

"There will be plenty of time for questions Santana. But now, there's much to tell you."

Santana didn't bother trying to sit down on the ratty couch that he pointed her to, opting instead to lean against its side, crossing her arms.

"You can start with why you sent us on that wild goose chase through the library. How many people did you send in after us?"

"Ah, my apologies, Santana." Will pushed a pile of papers off the couch and sat down. "I had every intention of leaving the artifact there, but there were other forces far too close to discovering it's location, and I had to move it."

The way that he had said other forces left a bad taste in Santana's mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"Those who would seek to do more damage than good to the human race."

"So you think you know what this thing does?"

"Well…" Will hesitated for a moment. "Not exactly, but I have a pretty good idea. And now I just have to keep it out of the hands of those who would use it for evil and in the hand of the righteous."

Santana was getting impatient. "Which would be me. So tell me where it is."

Will shook his head. "I can't make it that simple, Santana. I offered the chance for you and Blaine to both find it. And we've yet to see who deserves it."

"Are you fucking kidding me? This was some sort of contest? Blaine couldn't hold a candle to me on his best day, and you're giving him the chance to match wits with me?"

Santana had raised her voice, but she really didn't care. She was advancing slowly on Will.

"Now, now, Santana." Will put up his hands. "Don't get too aggressive. If you do something to me, you won't find it, I've made sure of that."

"How about I tell you I'm done with your stupid riddles and games, and I'm sure as shit not going to spend another weekend traipsing around the city at the behest of your own little person DaVinci code."

Will was still backing away, arms up, and Santana was still coming towards him. Suddenly a pile near her shifted, and there was a snap. A moment later, Santana was covered in liquid.

"What the actual fuck, Schuester!" She yelled, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Santana it was a trap. Well, more like a system. Anyway, it's only holy water, so-"

Will didn't get to finish his sentence when suddenly with a huge crack behind them, and the door to the apartment burst open.

Santana turned, and was shocked to the see the door neatly kicked in, the chains and locks dangling uselessly from the frame.

Brittany stood in the doorway, not even breathing hard, and glaring into the room with a vicious look on her face.

"Get away from her." She growled.

Santana was so shocked from the sheer show of power that she'd just witnessed that she didn't even have time to tell Brittany that she was all right. She simply turned to Will who was regarding Brittany with eyes so wide that they seemed to take up half his face.

"Y-you!" Will stumbled backwards and nearly fell out of his chair.

Santana was having a little trouble keeping up with the current chains events. Obviously, something was happening and she wasn't really aware of all the ins and outs, but she needed to get control of the situation before it got any more out of control.

"Brittany…"

Santana didn't get to finish her sentence. Before she could blink, Brittany was across the room, and holding Will by the collar. She lifted him several inches off the ground, and Santana could hear him gurgling from lack of oxygen.

"Brittany! It's okay, I'm okay."

Brittany turned towards Santana, but barely seemed to hear. Santana looked into her eyes, and was startled by the darkness that stared back at her.

Will's feet still dangled wildly as he struggled against her grasp.

Brittany's eyes were locked with her own, and a moment later Santana could see haziness clear as she really looked at her for the first time.

There was a thump as Will crashed to the ground, and Brittany backed towards the door.

Will raised his hand to his throat, rubbing away the discomfort. His eyes still wild.

"You brought her here?! Of all the people you could have brought, you brought one of her kind?" Will was screaming at Santana, but Santana still had her eyes locked on Brittany.

Brittany was standing back from them, her arms wrapped around herself. She looked desperately between Will and Santana.

Will began rifling through cabinets and drawers, throwing junk behind his shoulder, and muttering to himself about betrayal.

"What is he talking about?" Santana considered moving towards Brittany, but wasn't sure she'd have a better grasp of the situation than Santana had herself. She turned back to Will. "What are you talking about?"

Will ignored her and kept digging through the drawers, and Santana looked back to Brittany, who was holding herself even tighter now. She turned towards her, arms outstretched.

"Britt-?"

"Stop right there! Don't go near her." Will held up a jar full of water, opened the lid, and held it threateningly at Brittany. "It's possible that she's betrayed and lied to you, and that's unfortunate, but you can't give her another chance to strike."

In spite of herself, Santana stopped in her tracks.

"Listen, Schuester, I don't know what you're talking about, but put down the jar. You sound like an actual insane person."

"You're telling me you don't know? Or are you one of them too? I should have known better than to trust you. Who would have thought Santana Lopez, one of the country's foremost paranormal investigators could be in league with evil."

"What evil?"

"Vampires!"

Santana furrowed her brow.

"Will-"

"Her…" He pointed to Brittany. "And her friends are the reason I had to move out of my apartment. They came in and harassed and tied me up! They would have killed me if I hadn't managed to escape."

Will was gesticulating wildly with the jar, nearly sloshing the water onto the ground.

Now Santana was seriously confused. Why would Brittany have any reason to go after Will? Why would she have wanted to threaten him? She extended her open hands towards him in a calming way.

"Will, you're confused. Too many late nights hanging out with nothing but your books for company. Brittany would never do anything like that. She wouldn't have tried to hurt you. "

"You're so fooled, you would be an agent in your own destruction then. That's fine with me, but I won't stand by and be destroyed."

With that, Will splashed the water in Brittany's direction, who, for her part, didn't even flinch. It splashed on her shoes harmlessly.

"See, Will. What is that? More holy water? If she were a vampire, it would have killed her, right?"

Santana nodded, hoping Will could see the nonsense in his own reasoning.

"Well, that's the thing. Not all of them are sensitive to the same stuff. Before her friends couldn't stand the cross I held out, but she could. I think they're like allergies. Some of them are allergic to holy water, and crosses, some aren't."

The drama of the moment gone for the most part, Santana allowed herself a moment to breathe. Brittany was still standing away from her with her head down and her arms crossed.

She rolled her eyes at Will.

"But there's bound to be something that she's sensitive to." He said.

Santana watched in bland, amused fascination as Will held up a tiny statue of Buddha, and then sparked a lighter in his hand.

"Will, your apartment is one big fire hazard. You should probably take it easy with that. Let's get out of here, Brittany."

Santana walked towards Brittany and tugged her arm. This seemed to shake Brittany out of her daze, as she looked up at Santana in surprise.

"S-Santana."

"Let's go."

With that they went out of the destroyed door, stepping gingerly over the broken pieces. Will was still ranting in the background.

\

Pulling up the curb in front of her apartment, Santana got off the bike, and handed the helmet back to Brittany, who put it into the compartment under her seat. The bike was off, and she leaned against it, a sad smile on her face.

Santana would know everything now. And even though she probably didn't believe in vampires, she might have a qualm or two about dating one assuming that anything from this point on in their relationship made any sense. What she couldn't understand was why Santana had been so kind to her. She held her hand all the way down the stairs of Will's building, and back to the bike. She climbed on without hesitation, and pressed as enthusiastically into her as ever.

Brittany sighed deeply. It would probably be the last time they were close like this, she would miss it.

It wasn't the first time she had met a human that she'd liked. She'd met plenty, and slept with no small number of them. She'd even had one or two tell her they loved her.

But Santana was different. She felt things for Santana that she hadn't felt for anyone before. Every time she touched Santana she felt as if her world was lighting up from the inside. She felt like she was shining like a star. She didn't want to lose that.

Brittany sniffed a few times quietly.

"Hey."

Santana was standing close to her, resting a comforting hand on her arm.

"Don't let what Will said get to you, okay? He's a looney toon. I mean, I knew that before getting involved with him, but I didn't mean for it to affect you."

Brittany looked, her eyebrows raised. Santana didn't believe what Will had said about her?

"But-"

"I mean, breaking down his door was pretty badass, but that was no reason to go crazy on you. Jesus. That's the last time I follow creepy directions texted to me in the middle of the night."

Santana laughed softly. "His face though. Wow, his face. His face was hilarious. I mean, I thought you were going to beat him to a pulp."

"I thought he was going to hurt you." Brittany squeaked, her voice soft.

"Nah, he was just being an idiot. Which is pretty usual for him, so I'm surprised I didn't see it coming. I'm over it. With or without him, we'll find the relic. I've got no doubt about that."

Santana nodded her head with certainty. "We'll get it."

Brittany could barely think. This woman. This wonderful woman. Brittany wanted to wrap her arms around her, and carry her through the skies. She settled for leaning forward, and kissing the end of Santana's nose.

"You are amazing, Santana Lopez."

Santana smiled, dipping her head. "You're not too bad yourself, Brittany Pierce."

She returned the kiss to Brittany's nose. Brittany could see the stars shining behind her own eyes.

Taking Santana's arm, she lead her up the steps and to the door of her building.

"It's like every day with you is an adventure. I don't think I'll ever see it all."

"We do make a great team."

"Yeah."

They leaned into each other, and Brittany could hear giggling from up above them. She looked up and saw two people, a woman and a man, one black and one white, leaning over the ledge of the window and looking down at them.

Following her gaze, Santana looked up and frowned.

"I swear to god, you two!"

"Oh, excuse me, miss lady. I didn't know this wasn't a public front stoop."

"Yeah, Santana, don't stop on our account. Just pretend we're not here."

The two laughed. Brittany assumed they were Sam and Mercedes.

Mercedes spoke up again with a wide grin. "Why don't you bring her upstairs and introduce us, instead of hiding away?"

"We're not hiding, 'Cedes."

"Suuure." Said Sam.

"Goddammit." Santana muttered. She looked back at Brittany. "I'll walk you back to your bike."

"Afraid I'll embarrass you?" Brittany grinned.

"What? No way. I'm sure they'll embarrass me. They've both known me since we were tiny kids, so they have all the worst stories."

"You mean the best stories."

"Uh, no, Britt. Maybe another time, it's late, okay?"

Brittany couldn't hide her disappointment, but turned anyway, allowing Santana to walk with her back to the bike. She settled into the seat, and strapped her helmet on.

"I'll text you when I get home, okay?"

"Okay." Santana said, distractedly, tugging on Brittany's helmet to make sure it was secure on her head.

"Unless you don't want me to."

Santana stopped and looked at Brittany closely. "Why wouldn't I want you to?"

"I dunno, maybe you just don't."

Brittany almost pouted. She couldn't help the way she was feeling. Maybe Will hadn't divulged her secret, but Santana didn't want her to meet Mercedes and Sam, and Brittany knew they were the most important people to her. Them and Rachel. Maybe a part of Sanatana knew that there was something wrong with Brittany, that she was somehow broken.

Santana lifted Brittany's chin and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Then another on her nose, then one on her chin. Then finally, she pressed her lips softly against Brittany's, pressing fully until Brittany felt as though she were surrounded by Santana. Her senses were in overload as she felt every dip and wrinkle of her lips, and lost herself in the feeling of Santana's lips against her own.

Brittany sighed happily.

From above them, Mercedes and Sam whooped and hollered with excitement.

Santana smiled softly as she pulled away. "That's why I don't want you to come up right now. I have to fully prepare you for the craziness that is Samcedes. Then we'll have you over."

Brittany smiled back, shyly. "Okay."

With that Brittany started the bike, and then waited patiently until Santana was safely in the doorway before pulling off.

\

When Brittany got home, she traded a dozen or so texts with Santana, who set them up for a date enjoying her favorite rainbow sprinkle pancakes the next day. She sighed happily as her phone plopped on her chest as she laid on her back on the couch.

She had gotten in and wandered into one of the many common areas. It was kind of a training room, and had a few couches, and a huge television set. Usually Brittany came here to play chess, but it was still a bit too early for the large crowd that might gather here later.

A hand swiped the phone off of her chest, and held it out of her grasp.

"What have we got here? Somebody's got a new texting buddy, huh? This phone sucks though, Brittany, honestly. Why didn't you spring for the newer model?"

Brittany flipped over and eyed Sugar, who was wearing a disgusted look on her face.

"Sugar, give it back." She said, though she couldn't even muster a threat in her voice. She was too happy.

"Nope, not until you tell me all about your new boo. Who is he?"

"Well…" Brittany began, getting up from the couch, and stalking towards Sugar. "Firstly, he's a she, and she's amazing."

Sugar waggled the phone between her fingers, then tossed it to Brittany. "Do tell."

Brittany flopped back onto the couch.

"I don't know what to tell. She's great. I like her a lot."

"What clan is she with?"

Brittany looked away.

"Brittany, what clan? Don't tell me she's with April Rhodes. You know how much Sue hates them."

"No, no, she's not with them."

"Then who's she with?"

"You don't know them."

"Not possible. I'm a Motta. We know everybody."

"Well, you don't know them." Brittany said softly, brokering no further questions.

Sugar knew that tone and from the look in Brittany's eyes, she was sure that she didn't want to push the subject further. .

Sugar sighed. "Fine. But when you get ready to talk about it, I'll be here."

Brittany smiled softly and nodded, grateful to Sugar for her sympathy.

"Since you're doing your best to avoid talking about this, maybe you can help me with something."

Being in a particularly good mood since talking with Santana, Brittany hopped up from the couch, and stood by Sugar's side.

"What's up?"

"I've been working on throwing my fire, you know? And it's still pretty hard."

Sugar looked down sadly, a frown spreading across her face.

Brittany nodded. Sugar had long since had a problem with fire, it being a particularly sore spot for her, but her abilities had manifested themselves, and they'd all woken up one afternoon to Sugar's screams as her room was almost engulfed in flames.

Sugar had gotten better with 'night emissions', but was still loathe to use her pyrokinesis, because of how uncomfortable it made her. Now, she spent evenings trying to get control of it, on strict orders from Sue, who'd casually mentioned that if she set the house on fire again, they'd never be able to find the pieces.

Brittany knew that Sugar was stressed out because of Sue, and being in control of one of your worst fears wasn't something that necessarily put one at ease, so she was happy to help.

"What's the plan?" Brittany said, nudging Sugar with her shoulder.

Seeing Brittany ready to help perked Sugar up, and she grinned, pointing towards the four corners of the room.

"I set up some targets earlier, so you don't need to mess with those. I just need someone nearby, to give me some advice, you know?"

"I got you, Sugar."

Brittany went up behind Sugar, and put her hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently and eyeing the targets. She remembered when her abilities (and later weaknesses) started manifesting themselves. She had been nervous, and very inaccurate. It took her months of not being able to sleep, and barely eat because her sensory overload. Quinn had finally squirreled her away in a back room, deep beneath the house, in complete darkness. She'd had the room meticulously cleaned, and covered in the softest fabrics money could buy, but it was only after Quinn had joined her, and held her close so Brittany could listen to her heartbeat, that Brittany could finally relax. Quinn went down once a day everyday, for hours, holding Brittany in silence so she could close her eyes.

Without Quinn, without anyone, Brittany could have imagined that the entire process would have been a lot more uncomfortable.

She couldn't even imagine what it was like for Sugar, who had the ability to control fire, but had a deep, abiding fear of it.

She squeezed Sugar's shoulders again.

"The most important thing is focus."

"You've told me this before, Pierce." Sugar said in an annoyed voice.

"I know, and I'm saying it again. Because it's the most important thing." Brittany said, in an obvious tone.

Sugar sighed. "Fine."

Brittany could hear the waver behind her voice. Sugar wasn't dumb. She'd heard the lesson about a dozen times. That's why she kept coming to Brittany. But she also trusted Brittany, and that's another reason she kept coming back.

"So, what should I think about?" asked Sugar, after a few moments of silence.

"You've got to see what it is you want to do. If you want to destroy that target, you have to see yourself destroying it. No fear, no hesitation, no confusion. You have to see yourself doing what it is you want to do, exactly how you want to do it, and not worry about anything else. If you see perfection, you'll achieve perfection."

"I don't know if it's that easy."

Brittany grunted.

"Is that how you did it, Britt?"

Brittany turned Sugar around in her arms, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Yep. And, Sugar, I'm not perfect, not yet, but I can use my abilities, turn them up or down as I want, control them as much as you might control your hand when you catch a ball, or pick up a telephone. It's a muscle, you have to train it, and you can control it."

Sugar only nodded and swallowed loudly.

Brittany turned Sugar back around to face the target.

"See what you want to achieve, Sugar. See it, and take it."

Sugar nodded again, and raised her hands.

Brittany could feel the change in the atmosphere as Sugar closed her eyes and furrowed her brow.

The air crackled with electricity, and Brittany felt herself getting hot.

Her grip on Sugar's shoulder tightened in an attempt to bring her attention closely into herself. She wanted Sugar to know she was there, without having to break her focus.

Suddenly, Sugar's opened quickly and narrowed.

Licks of fire began to flare from her fingertips. Slowly at first, but bigger and more ferocious as the seconds ticked by.

Brittany smiled softly.

Sugar's turned towards Brittany and smiled.

"I'm doing it, Britt!"

Brittany squeezed Sugar's shoulder even harder. "Focus, Sugar."

Sugar turned back towards the targets, but frowned when the fire on her fingers sputtered out.

"What the-?" Sugar brought her hands up to her face. "What's happening?"

"Sugar-"

Suddenly, the fire started again, shooting out from her fingertips and straight towards the ceiling.

Sugar screamed and pointed her hands forward, swinging her arms wildly.

She screamed again, and the fire went out, but reignited all over her body.

Brittany jumped away, out of the way of the flames, but nearly getting singed as Sugar turned towards her. She sighed, grabbing a quilt from off the back of the couch, and covered Sugar, bringing her to the ground.

Luckily Sugar was immune to flames, though, her clothes certainly weren't, and neither was Brittany, so she gingerly held the fabric until she could hear the last of the flames snuff out.

She uncovered Sugar's head, and patted her mussed curls.

"So, any idea where you went wrong?"

"I lost my focus"  
"You lost your focus."

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay, Sugar!" Brittany smiled. "You'll get it next time. Just keep working on it."

"Maybe we can work again together. Maybe next week?"

Brittany knew that Sugar would need some time to collect herself, and it might take at least that long before she was comfortable using her abilities again. She was disappointed, but she wouldn't leave Sugar alone to try and figure out things by herself. She couldn't do that to Sugar. She wouldn't have done that to anyone in her clan.

"Sure, Sugar. Just tell me when."

\

"I say we go back to the library."

"There's nothing in the library, we've established that."

"Well, we don't have any other choice."

"I've been monitoring the message boards, and there hasn't been any chatter about the relic. I think really think that we've lost it this time."

"And there's nothing from Will yet, Santana?... Santana?"

Santana looked up. She was in their makeshift studio at Artie's house, and Artie, Rachel and Jane looked up at her expectantly.

They always met up at Artie's house because he was the only one who lived in a house and had plenty of space for them to meet. He still lived with his mom, not because he wasn't independent, but because she felt better the closer she was to him. Artie had been in a wheelchair since he was a kid, and had been involved in a car accident. His father died, and he was in a coma for a few weeks. His mother wasn't sure if he was going to survive or not. Through the years, she had compensated for this by choosing his clothes until he went off to college, and always packing his lunch. Santana remembered once in middle school his mom had driven halfway across the state to catch up with their bus when he forgot his phone at home. She'd never let him forget that little escapade.

Artie had grown up to be surprisingly well adjusted, and though Santana sometimes gave him a hard time, she also respected the man that he'd become, and was glad that he was the technical mastermind of their show. During the week he worked at a local radio station, producing shows for the public radio.

Artie looked at her earnestly. "Right, Santana?"

"Right." Santana answered. She wasn't quite sure what she was agreeing to, but it seemed to be the right answer as the conversation continued.

This was the first time since she'd started the show that she'd actually found herself at a loss. She was usually the one leading the charge, pointing her merry band towards danger, and heading up the march herself. But all morning she had been exchanging messages with Brittany. They weren't important, or even that life changing, but they were cute, and filled with little hearts and smiley faces.

She loved knowing that she could text Brittany any time day or night, and get a response almost right away. She would do the same for Brittany as well, but ever since she'd gotten Brittany's number, she felt like she was only a phone call or a text away.

Santana shook her head.

But there still was a job to do. They had to find that relic before Blaine, if only to wave it in Blaine and Will's faces. Maybe she'd lost an opportunity with Will the other day (though she still wasn't sure why), but she wasn't ready to give up.

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

 _Two hours to go. ;)_

Santana smiled as she typed out her response.

 _I can't wait._

 _Me either. I'm starving._

 _What do you want to eat?_

 _Take a guess..._

"Santana?" Rachel had an annoyed tone in her voice.

The group was looking at her again. Rachel's hands were on her hips.

"What, Dwarf?"

"Santana, first of all, I'm actually only about three centimeters shorter than you. So, I don't see the point of that nickname, since we're both a few inches below the norm for women. Secondly, if you can't be bothered to pay attention, I'm wondering why we include you in these planning meetings in the first place."

"Because it's my show, that's why, Berry. I'm around because it's my show, and it's my name in the title, and I built it. If it weren't for me, you've still be working at that stupid singing restaurant and relying on tips for a living."

"Okay, but-"

"And secondly, I call you dwarf not just because you're short, but because you're short, you've got a big nose, and you live under a bridge."

Rachel snapped her mouth closed, and crossed her arms, huffing to the nearby couch.

"Well, if you're so smart then, you tell us what we should do."

The others looked at her expectantly.

A part of her was annoyed that they always left these decisions to her. It wasn't her fault that without her, they stumbled around like a body without a head.

Another part of her was a little proud. This was her group. They were her little clique. They depended on her, and she depended on them, and she'd do what she could to lead them. Even if they spent most of their time annoying her. Well, everybody except for Jane. But she was new, so there was time for that, yet.

Now, she was kind of at a loss for words. She honestly hadn't been paying that much to the conversation, and she wasn't sure what plans they had already thought about and discarded.

Santana grimaced. "Okay, well, how about this: We wait."

Artie cocked his eyebrow. "So, we're just supposed to wait until Blaine starts blowing us out of the water with his coverage?

"No, Arthur. We do know that Blaine can't resist crowing. The closer he gets to the artifact, the louder he's going to get, the more chances we have to find him, and it before he gets the jump on us."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Said Jane, carefully. "I'm on the site everyday, and he's always checking in with updates. He keeps them almost disgustingly on top of everything he's doing. Yesterday he tweeted from the shower. Once he gets close, we'll be able to follow along, and maybe get the jump on him."

Rachel shrugged and Artie seemed to agree by default.

"It's as good a plan as we've come up with so far. I guess it'll work."

Santana clapped her hands once. "Good, now, is this meeting over, cause I've got stuff to do."

"Santana, we're still in the midst of planning for next month's shows. We've only got two guests booked so far."

Santana sighed, rolling her eyes at Rachel. "Fine. We'll do Gibbs, Prescott, Feckland, Ryan, Jones and Morgan. We'll do two lives feeds, one from that old butcher shop in Hell's Kitchen, and one from the Paranormal Society upstate, and that leaves us four hours for the call in shows, and we'll take questions and stories. Jane, set up the interviews, and call Chuck over at the society."

Jane was furiously scribbling on her notepad, and nodded to Santana.

"Everybody got it? Good. Now, I'm out."

Santana began gathering her things and moved towards the door. Rachel walked over to the desk, and sat down with a huff, clearly not done talking (though, when was she ever?), and Artie followed close behind Santana.

"I'll walk you up."

She eyed his wheelchair meaningfully.

"In a manner of speaking." Artie said.

Santana only nodded, and followed him to the elevator that went from his basement, and all the way to his bedroom on the top floor.

"After you." He said graciously, gesturing inside.

Santana went in, and pushed the button that would put them out on the ground floor.

The two rode up in silence, and made their way out of the elevator, to the hall, and to the front door. Santana stood for a moment with her hand on the door handle, then turned to face Artie.

"What is it, Abrams?" She snapped.

Artie looked cornered, is eyes wide. "What? I'm just sitting here."

"No, you're definitely not just sitting here. You're judging me, with your judgement. I can feel it burrowing into my head. What do you want to say?"

Artie sighed. "Fine. Want to know what I think? You're losing focus, Lopez. Which is bad. I mean, look, in high school, you weren't ever into this stuff, like the paranormal, and I thought it was just a side effect of you getting over what happened with your mom."

Santana shifted to look at Artie, narrowing her eyes. He knew not to go any further, but the warning was enough for him.

"I just mean it's good, right? You're doing something productive, something you like. And then for a while, I was worried you were getting obsessed. Like, wanting to meet every day, and spending all your time on the website. I know that it mattered to you, and it matters to you, but I don't want this to be a project that you get going and just abandon. It means a lot to the fans, and I've gotten to love it too. Rachel and Jane and me, we're all counting on you, you know? I just don't want you to get a new girlfriend, and forget what we're all about."

Santana rolled her eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

"This is my show, Artie. I started it because I was interested in it, and I love it. I'm not going to let it fall aside just because I've got someone in my life. I didn't with my last girlfriend, did I?"

"Well, no. But you clearly weren't head over heels for her like you are for this new girl."

"Whatever, Artie. Anyway, Brittany is totally into paranormal stuff too, so more than likely, she'll just join the crew."

"Hmmm."

Santana gave Artie a look. "What?"

"Well, you never did establish what she was doing in the library. We don't know exactly why she was searching for the artifact. Maybe she wants it for herself. Maybe you're sleeping with the enemy."

"We haven't actually done anything yet."

"That's not what I mean, Santana. I just mean, look… You and Blaine were the two closest to getting it, but you weren't the only ones who might have wanted it. Maybe she was using you to find it."

"So, first I'm moving too fast, and now she's only with me because she's looking for the same thing I am. Wow, Artie, you're really hitting all the highlights, aren't you?"

Santana was advancing towards Artie, who began backing away quickly.

"Santana, that's not what I-"

"Can it, Stubbles McCripplepants. I think I've listened to enough of your pointless ramblings."

"It's not-"

"I'm a big girl. I've been taking care of myself long before you rolled into my life, and I'll be doing it long after."

"Santana-"

"I'm done talking to you about this, Wheels. And I suggest you consider yourself done talking to me about it."

With that Santana turned on her heel, and walked out the door, closing it soundly behind her.

Santana was furious. She'd always been able to count on Artie to have her back when they were going up against Rachel. She knew he was a level headed guy, but saying that stuff about her, and then Brittany was over the line.

Then again, Artie had known her since high school. Almost as long as Mercedes, and just as long as Rachel. He knew her through some of the darkest parts of her life.

But not trusting Brittany? Sure, she hadn't known Brittany for very long. Less than a week, actually. But she felt something that was more than just a simple attraction to her. She felt a connection. Something she hadn't felt in a long time, maybe ever. And yeah, she hadn't felt about any of those other girls the way she felt about Brittany, but that was a good thing, right?

She kept her head down as she walked the streets towards her apartment.

She wasn't going to lose focus on the show, and she wasn't worried about what Brittany wanted with the artifact. They'd already talked about it, and Brittany had said she'd wanted Santana to have it, right? There was no worry there. And as for the show, she was as excited about it as ever. Even more excited to get to research and delve into the unknown with Brittany, so what did she have to worry about?

Santana had trudged through the darkening, chilly streets, her hands tucked into her pockets for warmth before she realized she was already at her building.

Her thoughts about her troubles pulled at her mind as she climbed the steps to her floor, unlocked the door, and slipped in. She was greeted by the smell of something delicious warming on the stove.

"Whatever you're cooking, Cedes, serve it up, like, a huge plate of it. I'm stressing out."

Santana hung her coat up on the rack, and stuffed her gloves into the pockets.

"But, you've gotta be quick because Brittany is coming to pick me up in like half an hour-"

Santana's words caught in her throat as she turned and saw Mercedes, Sam and Brittany sitting on the couch, looking guiltily at her.

Brittany smiled, waving softly. "Hey. I'm, um, a bit early."

"What the hell, you two?" Santana said.

"Oh calm down, Satan. She was sitting on that bike, waiting for you when I came home from work. So I invited her in, cause it's freezing out there." Mercedes patted Brittany's hand.

"So, what, now y'all are best friends or something?" Santana couldn't hide her annoyance. Not at Brittany (never at Brittany), but Mercedes and her dumb ass boyfriend sticking their noses where they didn't belong. Again.

"No, but I thought it would be nice for us to get to know her a little bit."

Mercedes stood up quickly, and patted the couch next to Brittany. Then she motioned to Sam who stood as well, and took her hand.

"Anyway, I invited her for dinner, and Mom's spaghetti sauce is much better than the pancakes with sprinkles you two were going to eat anyway. So, just relax, and I'll call you when everything's ready."

Santana rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch next to Brittany, who put an arm around her.

Without even thinking about it, Santana snuggled into Brittany's shoulder, and sighed. She could feel all of her stress melting away. Disagreements with Rachel. The fight with Artie. Samcedes' meddling. It all seemed to fade into the background.

"Hey." Santana sighed happily.

"Hey." Brittany replied, kissing the top of her head.

Santana giggled. "What was that for?"

"Well, I've just been missing you all day, and thinking about doing that, so I did. Is it okay?"

Santana felt her face grow warm. "It's more than okay. It's awesome."

Now Brittany giggled, wrapping her arms more fully around Santana.

"How was your day?"

"It was good. Just meeting with the gang about next month's shows, and what to do about Will and Blaine." Santana said his name with disgust.

"And what did you decide?"

"We're going to wait him out. Blaine can't go five seconds without updating that stupid blog of his, and Jane's been following it for months. We'll wait on him to announce his next move, and then we'll beat him to the punch."

"Genius."

"Thanks." Santana laughed. "What about you? I hope my sister and her stupid fiance weren't driving you crazy."

"No, no, they're awesome, actually. Really, really nice. But protective. Really nice, but protective of you."

"Yeah, they've been like that since we were kids."

"Um, Santana?"

"Yeah, Britt?" Santana snuggled closer to Brittany.

"This is, like, the second time that you've said Mercedes is your sister. And, I kind of noticed that you two don't exactly look that much alike. Not that you don't- Or, maybe, I mean… If you don't want to talk about it, I understand-"

Brittany was flailing. Santana stopped her with a soft kiss to her lips.

She loved kissing Brittany, and looked for any opportunities to do so. Brittany's lips were so soft, and so eager, she loved it. But, she pulled back before she could get too lost in the moment.

"It's fine, Brittany. I call her my sister, but we're not really related."

"No?"

"No. Mercedes and I both grew up together, but we didn't meet Sam until almost middle school. Her parents were really close to my dad. Anyway, when my father passed away, I moved in with the Joneses. Her parents were really sticklers for the fact that I was a part of their family too. So, I got used to calling Mercedes my sister. I sometimes call her parents mom and dad too, but usually only if she does first."

Santana quietly played with the buttons on Brittany's shirt. She hadn't ever really felt comfortable telling any of her previous girlfriends this. Granted, most of them had never met Mercedes, and fewer than that ever asked about her past, but it felt nice opening up to Brittany like this.

Brittany squeezed her tighter.

"Well, I'm really glad you had somebody like that in your life, Santana. A family to take care of you."

"Me too. You know, it's weird. When I grew up it was basically just me and my dad. But, now as I've gotten older I've got so many people. The 'rents, and Mercedes, Sam and Rachel, Artie and-"

And you.

The last words died on Santana's lips, and she buried her face into Brittany's shirt.

She hadn't been thinking, just talking, but she couldn't believe she was about to say something like that. They had basically just met. They were barely more than friends. It was too soon to be thinking that way, right?

Maybe Artie was right. Maybe she was moving too fast. Not just for her sake, but Brittany's as well. Maybe Brittany would get freaked out because of the weird stuff that came out of Santana's mouth. Maybe she wouldn't be able to handle it, and would get scare off. Santana didn't think it was likely, but you never knew. Brittany was awesome, and everything that Santana could have hoped for, but she was still a person. And she still had flaws like anyone else.

"Hey." Brittany said softly.

Santana felt her chin being lifted by Brittany's fingers until she was staring into her eyes.

"You don't have to worry about me. I mean, you can trust me. I like this, Santana. I hope I can always be a part of it."

Santana didn't ask Brittany to go into any more detail. She was a little afraid of what her answer might be. But she knew that she wouldn't worry about it anymore. At least for the time being.

It always blew her away the way that Brittany seemed to almost read her mind. It was like she knew that something was going on in her head, and knew just what to say to keep Santana from going off an emotional cliff.

"It's not fair." Santana said out loud.

"What's that?"

"You're always so perfect. You know just what to say to make me feel better."

Brittany grinned from ear to ear. "I was just going to say the same thing about you."

They looked at each other for a moment more, and moved their lips slowly closer together.

"Dinner is served." Shouted Sam in his poshest British accent.

The interruption sent them crashing away from each other, and they looked towards Sam guiltily.

"What was that about hanky panky on the couch, Santana?" Sam grinned.

Santana grabbed Brittany's hand and slapped Sam's arm playfully on her way into the kitchen.

"Whatever, fish face. You're just mad that I've got all this, and Mercedes is stuck with your busted ass."

Sam pursed his lips. "Ouch, Santana, sensitive much?"

Santana smiled as she caught Brittany mouthing, Sorry, to Sam behind her back, and led them both into the kitchen.


	7. The Thing About Pandemonium

_Hope you like the update. I love reading the messages and reviews. Thanks so much for them!_

 _Update: Oops! I posted the seventh chapter to the wrong story! I've updated with the right chapter. Sorry about that :-)_

 _You can follow me on Tumblr (g0dblessthefandom), where I make fewer mistakes probably, but also post the story a little earlier._

* * *

"This is an old, Jones family recipe." Said Mercedes, reverently.

"Yeah, from the days back in old Napoli."

"Santana!"

"What, 'Cedes? She knows we're not from Italy."

"Well, maybe not, but Mom taught me this recipe and it was a moment of great pride for us. She would have taught you too if you hadn't almost burned down the house making Pop Tarts."

"One time! One time you have a toaster malfunction, and you're blacklisted for life!"

Brittany was really enjoying herself.

"Well, it happened regardless, and I wasn't sure if Mom would ever let you back into the kitchen."

"Meh, it's not like I wanted to spend time in there anyway."

Brittany watched Santana swirl the pasta around on her fork. They were all sitting in the small dining room, clustered around a round table. The place setting was mismatched but cozy. There was a cute bright tablecloth with candles lit on the table. Brittany sat between Mercedes and Santana, and was having a great time watching them interact with each other. Maybe they weren't biological sisters, but they certainly acted like siblings. And it was also clear that they really loved each other.

"So, you two grew up together?" Brittany asked, watching Santana closely.

"Yep, we all did." Volunteered Sam. "Of course, I didn't live with them when we were really young."

"You were around so much, Sam, you might as well have." Mercedes laughed.

"You wish, Mercedes. You just couldn't get enough of the way he followed you around like a lovestruck puppy dog, even as kids."

"Wow, Sam, you've been in love with Mercedes that long?"

Sam chuckled. "I don't know if I knew it was love back then, but once I turned about 11, I knew. But, of course, I didn't say anything about it for another couple of years. I was afraid that if I said anything either Mercedes would think I was a freak, or Santana would beat me up."

"That last part is probably true." Laughed Santana.

"Which is really weird, because I could have sworn that the older brother in the Jones' family was named Peyton, not Santana." Sam said.

"So, she's always been really protective?"

"You don't know the half of it, Britt. The first time I took Mercedes out on an 'official' date, she wouldn't let us leave until I filled out a three page form detailing exactly what we were going to be doing all evening. And then she waited up until we got home, and wouldn't let me leave until I'd signed the thing, and their mom had notarized it."

Brittany was holding her sides she was laughing so hard.

"And San, it wasn't like we hadn't been alone together before." Mercedes said.

"Not if I could have helped it."

"It's probably the reason that we dated for a full year before we told her." Sam piped up.

"You did that because you knew that if you broke up with her because you weren't sure, I would have broken both of your legs."

"Well, that too."

Brittany sniffed, and huffed, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. She could only imagine a teenage Santana, tough on the outside, but soft as a marshmallow on the inside. Looking out for her family and friends, and just generally being adorable.

Brittany placed a hand on Santana's leg under the table.

Santana gasped and looked at Brittany, scandalized.

"Britt…" She whined quietly.

Brittany ignored her, and turned back towards Mercedes.

"So, Rachel has been your friend as long?"

"Not quite. We met Rachel in high school. Her and Artie. It was just fate that we all ended up in New York. Actually, I wasn't sure if I'd end up here at all. But Santana had made up her mind to come, so I couldn't really do anything but follow."

"And of course, Sam was right on her heels."

"Well, Ohio wasn't working out for me as well as I'd hoped."

Brittany still was a little confused. "But, I don't get it. How'd you end up living with the Joneses? I mean, after your dad… You know, passed away? Wasn't there any family that you could be with?"

The mood of the room changed, and everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably.

"Well, her dad didn't have any siblings or anything." Mercedes said quickly.

"No, there was no one." Santana said quietly.

Brittany was sure that wasn't exactly true, but she didn't want to push any further. She had never really talked to Santana about what happened to her father, and for that matter, what happened with the rest of her family. She knew that it was definitely a sore spot for Santana, but didn't want to make things any harder for her. Brittany wanted Santana's time with her to be happy and carefree. She didn't like dredging up the past, and hurting her.

"What about you, Brittany? Where is your family?" Sam asked, his mouth full of pasta.

Brittany hesitated a moment. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. Getting into her past might open her up to more questions that she was willing to answer. But she didn't want to start off her relationship with Santana and her family with lies. So, she told the truth.

"They've all passed away, actually. My parents many years ago, and my siblings."

Santana turned to her, wide eyed. They'd never talked about Brittany's past before. Not even a little. Brittany had been worried about the questions that it would raise, and, for her part, she really didn't like talking about it either. But, here in this moment, she felt like she was in a safe space. She couldn't tell them everything, but she could tell them the most important parts, and hope they wouldn't want too many of the grisly details.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear that."

Mercedes reached over, and placed a hand on Brittany's.

Brittany sighed softly as Santana mirrored her sister's movement, but on the hand on her thigh.

"It was an accident. A fire. My parents and two sisters."

It had been a long time since Brittany had really thought about it. She never really got over it, of course, they were her family, but time had served to lessen the pain that used to come up like dagger to her heart whenever her mind took her to that dark place.

She freed her hand from Mercedes' and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Britt, why didn't you tell me?"

Santana's eyes were wet with tears as well, but Brittany couldn't stand to watch them fall. She used her free hand to wipe Santana's face.

"I was really young. I barely remember. It's not something I think about much, honestly. But I don't want to ruin our dinner. So, let's talk about something else."

Santana only nodded, and tightened her grip on Brittany's hand.

Mercedes stood up, patting Brittany's shoulder with a sigh.

"You didn't ruin anything, Britt. I'm glad you felt safe enough to tell us. I'm going to get dessert ready. Sam, give me a hand?"

Sam hopped up, and joined Mercedes in the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone again.

As soon as the room was clear, Santana stood, and went to Brittany, wrapping her arms around her.

"I wish you had told me sooner."

"It's okay, Santana."

"It's just… It's just I know what it's like to lose the people I love, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

Brittany relaxed into Santana's embrace. It was good feeling not to think about anything, but the feeling of Santana's arms wrapped around her neck. She could get used to this. It was probably the closest thing she'd find to paradise in this life.

"You don't ever have to be afraid to talk to me. And tell me, you know, whatever."

"I know, Santana, it's okay."

"And I know we haven't known each other for that long. We've barely talked about our pasts or whatever. But I'm not easily scared, so you can tell me anything you want."

Santana was rambling a bit now, and Brittany looked up, and kissed her gently to shut her up.

"It's okay, Santana, I'm okay."

Santana nodded.

A few moments later, the door from the kitchen swung open, and Mercedes and Sam entered, each carrying two bowls.

Brittany pulled away from Santana quickly and turned her attention back to the table, her head down.

"This is another secret family recipe, and I know you're going to love it Britt. Taste it and tell me what you think."

Brittany looked sidelong at Santana. She was still worried about how worked up she had gotten. She absently took the spoon and swallowed a bite of the ice cream.

The moment she felt the ice cream hit her throat, the room started to spin.

"Mercedes?" Brittany said softly, trying to keep her voice even. "What is in this?"

"It's garlic ice cream! It's mostly made with honey and stuff, but I thought it would be nice with the pasta-"

Mercedes stopped talking as Brittany stood up abruptly.

"M-mer-mercedes. I-I-"

Santana was up as well, and at Brittany's arm as the room descended into pandemonium.

"Brittany, are you okay?" Santana said, her voice loud in Brittany's ear.

Suddenly Brittany's senses were going haywire. It looked as if she were looking at everything through a long hallway, but she could hear the sound of the ice cream melting in the bowl on the table. She could barely feel Santana's hand on her shoulder, but the taste of the garlic seemed to overwhelm her tongue.

Brittany started to pant, sweat popping up on her forehead.

"I-I'm allergic… Garlic…"

The room kept spinning as things got simultaneously louder and darker.

Brittany hit the ground with a thump.

\

Santana had been sitting on the edge of the bed for about 30 minutes so far. To say she was frantic wouldn't even begin to describe what she had felt when Brittany collapsed on the ground.

Mercedes wouldn't stop apologizing and Sam was already on the phone with the ambulance.

Brittany came to a few moments later and stopped him, saying she'd only need to rest for a few minutes and she'd be okay. Santana wasn't so sure.

Now, it had been nearly half an hour, Brittany still wasn't awake and she was ready to tell Sam to go ahead and get the paramedics there.

As if reading her mind, Mercedes poked her head into the door.

"Is she awake yet? I'm so sorry, Santana-"

"She's not awake, and stop apologizing, Mercedes."

Santana wanted to go over to her, but was afraid of getting too far from Brittany. So, she settled for reaching out her hand to her sister.

"I should have asked, I should have asked and made sure. And now she doesn't want us calling an ambulance. Do you think she's a drug dealer or something? Maybe she's on the run from the law."

Mercedes gripped her hand tightly. worrying clouding her voice.

Santana sighed. "I don't know. But if she doesn't wake up soon, I'm going to say the hell with waiting, and I'm driving her to the hospital myself. We'll figure something out, 'Cedes, okay? Don't worry."

Santana squeezed her hand reassuringly. Mercedes only nodded.

A few minutes later Mercedes left them, and Santana thought about what she'd said. Sure, Brittany was mysterious. And until she had told that story earlier about her family, Santana didn't know very much about her at all. Of course, that was to be expected. Especially since they'd only been seeing each other for a short time, but it was still strange. She never talked about her family and the only friends she'd ever heard about was someone named Quinn that she was always going on about, and her best friend, Puck.

What if she was a drug dealer or something? What if she was a criminal, and Santana had invited her into her home? What if she were putting Mercedes and Sam in danger? What if it were something worse than that?

Santana shook her head. No, that couldn't be. Brittany was mysterious, but she wasn't dangerous. Maybe she didn't know everything about her, but she knew that she really liked her, and that underneath it all, Brittany was a really good person. That's all she needed to know, honestly.

Santana's phone vibrated next to her. It was from Jane.

 _I'm sending you an email. Just know that I'm sending you all the information. No judgement._

Strange. Why wouldn't Jane just call her if she needed to explain something?

Santana opened the email app on her phone, and saw two recent messages, both from Jane. The first was an update on Blaine. He was reporting that he'd found the artifact.

Jackpot!

Jane had looked into the IP that he used to post the update, and it was near his studio. They would go out take what was theirs, even if it meant that Blaine had to suffer a little in the process, so be it. She was itching to leave, but she looked down at Brittany who was resting fitfully beside her.

Santana used a hand towel to wipe the sweat that had gathered on her brow. She sighed. She couldn't leave Brittany like this, she wouldn't. She didn't have a choice. She texted Jane back.

 _I'm stuck. You'll have to go without me._

A few moments later, her phone dinged again, this time with a message from Rachel. It dinged four more times before she'd even unlocked her phone. Santana didn't have to open them to know what they said. She reopened her chat with Jane.

 _Tell Rachel to chill out. If I can make it, I will if not, it's up to you two._

Her phone beeped again. It was Jane this time.

 _Okay. I'm sure we'll figure it out. What about the other email?_

Santana had forgotten about that one. She went back into her email and opened the email from Jane labeled _Confidential_. Inside was a video file. She opened it.

It looked like surveillance footage from somewhere. It cycled through a front stoop, hallway, and front door in an apartment building. At first it was dark and there didn't seem to be anything happening. But after a few minutes, three figures cut through the darkness.

The first was a tall white guy with a mohawk. It was actually pretty cool. The footage was in black and white, but from the shading Santana could tell it was a bright color.

The second person was a shorter, Asian woman. She had a serious look on her face like she was breaking into Fort Knox, instead of some ratty apartment in Queens. She was shushing the person coming behind her.

The third person was unclear at first. Santana wouldn't have thought anything about it, until she saw what the woman was wearing. It was a pair of light overalls, and a sweatshirt with daisies all over them. She was wearing striped knee socks that Santana didn't have to see clearly to know that they were bright, almost neon colors.

Suddenly the person looked up, nearly directly at the camera, and Santana's suspicions were confirmed. It was Brittany.

"What the hell?" Santana said to herself.

The cameras followed the group inside, and up the stairs, the view changing as they passed beneath the cameras on each floor.

At one point, Brittany held them back around a corner as one of the residents of the building came out of his door to take out the trash. After he passed, they moved on until they stopped at a particular door.

The mohawk guy fiddled with the handle, and a few seconds later the door was opened, and they slipped inside.

Santana was confused. Did this have something to do with Brittany's possibly criminal past? Why had Jane sent this to her, and how had she even found it? Santana would have called, but she saw that the video kept on for a while longer, so she hit the fast forward button.

Then she saw it. Someone walked up to the door that Brittany and her friends had walked into. He was holding a bag full of groceries, and fiddled with a key, and then stuck it in the lock.

It was Will Schuester.

Santana's eyes grew wide.

So, what? Will was telling the truth? She did attack him? So, what, then, she was a _vampire_? That would change everything. It would mean so much, especially to her.

She looked down at Brittany who was fidgeting in her sleep. Santana put a gentle hand on her arm, and watched as the touch seemed to calm Brittany, who's breath evened out, and her movements stilled.

Santana thought back to the short time that they'd spent together, and the things she'd seen. There were some things that made sense, and some that didn't. She wasn't sure. She had to ask her to find out, that's the only way she could know.

Santana's breath caught in her artifact. If Brittany was after it and she was a vampire, then the artifact had something to do with vampires, and it could either hurt them, or would offer them some new protection or power.

Santana picked at a cuticle. If the relic had power for vampires, she couldn't let Sue get it. Brittany didn't even want Sue to get it, and Santana didn't even know Sue, but the little Brittany had said about her in their time together gave her the impression that she shouldn't have it.

If it was a threat to vampires, then she would definitely want it. Not that she was particularly worried about them, but Kresnick had brought it all the way from the Old Country to New York. It must be very powerful indeed.

She had questions, so many questions, but she wasn't sure where to even begin. And she still had to wait until Brittany woke up.

Santana laughed grimly to herself. How cliched would it have been if Brittany was a vampire and Mercedes had just fed her garlic ice cream?

Waiting for Brittany to wake up and letting her mind run free was starting to drive Santana crazy. She couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

Suddenly, she came up with an idea. She slowly got up from the bed, and headed out the door, closing it gently behind her as she left.

Mercedes and Sam were on the couch, huddled close together, and talking to each other in low tones. They looked up when she came in.

"Is she awake?"

"No, not yet. Sam, do you still have that box of paperclips?"

Sam furrowed his brow. "Paperclips?"

"Yeah, from your office or whatever."

"Yeah, maybe in my closet or something.."

"Could you get it for me?"

Something in her tone brokered no argument, so Sam got up and went into his and Mercedes bedroom.

Mercedes gave Santana a strange look.

"Why do you need that?"

Santana started as though she'd forgotten Mercedes was in the room. "Oh, nothing, just an experiment."

"An experiment? On Brittany? Maybe you should leave the recovery to me, Santana."

"No. Not on Brittany. Don't worry, okay?"

Santana ignored the suspicious look on Mercedes' face and turned to Sam as he walked into the room, a small box in his hands.

"Is that it?" She asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, it was behind-"

Sam didn't get to finish his sentence as Santana snatched the box, and headed back towards her room.

She paused with her hand on the doorknob as she heard Brittany's phone ring, and then quickly stop. She heard murmured tones as Brittany answered the phone, said a few words, and then hung up. Santana quickly turned the knob and went inside, finding Brittany laying back on the bed as if she'd never gotten a phone call.

She was laying on top of the blankets, arms folded across her stomach, eyes slightly opened as she watched Santana's approach. She didn't say a word, but carefully walked around the bed, settling down at Brittany's feet.

"I-I'm feeling much better now." Brittany said hopefully.

Santana didn't respond, gripping the box of paper clips to her chest.

Brittany sat up on the bed, clutching her knees to her chest.

"You can tell Mercedes not to worry. I think I just had kind of bad reaction, but I really am feeling better now. "

Santana shifted uncomfortably as Brittany looked at her.

"Santana?"

Brittany didn't move, she simply watched Santana for a long moment.

Santana opened the box of paperclips, shifting them gently in her hand.

"W-what are you doing with those, Santana?"

Brittany was watching her with wide eyes. Santana couldn't stay silent any more against the pleading in her voice.

"At first I thought it was strange. That you'd heard our conversation in the library. But I figured I must have just missed you standing so close. But then the thing with the buttons. I remember being so confused. But I pushed that aside too. Then Will's house… The way you barreled through that door. You look strong, but not that strong. But I brushed it off again. I didn't trust myself. But the questions were there, popping up in my mind. And now... I haven't known you that long, Brittany, but I like you and I want to trust you, but you've got to be real with me. You've got to be honest. I'm going to ask you three questions, and I want you to answer them as honestly as you can."

Santana's voice was quiet. She was almost afraid of scaring Brittany off. She knew how on edge she must be. But, she needed answers and she wasn't sure how else to get them.

Brittany sat forward slightly on the bed, and didn't answer for a moment. She regarded Santana for another second longer, and Santana wasn't sure if she was going to answer at all. Finally, she spoke up.

"Okay, Santana."

Santana breathed a sigh of relief. This was a good sign. She didn't want to force Brittany to do anything she didn't want to do. She wanted them to be on the same page.

"Good, Brittany, that's so good." Santana breathed.

She wracked her brain thinking through all the questions she's had while Brittany was incapacitated. Some were really important and some not so much. She thought to the question that had been nagging her the longest.

"Okay, question one. What do you want with the Kresnick's relic? What does it mean to you?"

Brittany cleared her throat, nodding her head softly. "It's Sue. I told you. She wants it."

"Why? Why does she want it, Britt?" Santana leaned forward now, and had to stop herself from laying a hand on Brittany's leg. She was so close, it was almost uncomfortable not to touch her, not to try to say something that would soothe her. But Santana needed to be firm. She balled her hand into a fist.

"S-she… She's doing some kind of ritual. I don't know what it is, or what her real goal is. And beyond that, I can't tell you. I swear, Santana. That's all I know."

Santana held her hand out to Brittany, but still managed to resist touching her. "Fine, Britt. Fine. So, the next question. Were you at Will's house? Before? Was he right? Did you go there and hurt him?"

Brittany sighed, and squeezed the bridge of her nose. Santana could tell she was fighting with her desire to be honest, and also to not let all her cards show.

"Yes. I was there. We were looking for the artifact, but he wouldn't tell us where to find it. He, um, incapacitated my friends, and I punched him, but he got knocked out, so we just left."

Santana smiled softly. In some small way she already knew the answer, but she was glad Brittany was telling the truth. She was glad to know that she could trust her.

"Okay, it's fine. It's all right."

Brittany seemed relieved. She hadn't known that Jane had sent her that video. She hadn't known how much Santana already knew. But Santana wasn't afraid.

"Last question, Brittany."

Brittany was sitting a little taller now, and nodded happily. Santana forgot her struggle to not get any closer to Brittany and uncurled her arms from herself, resting her hands on Brittany's legs. Santana leaned forward, pressing her hands deeper into her legs, she could feel Brittany's legs go tense under the pressure.

"Britt. Are you a vampire?"

Santana felt all the air go out of Brittany for a moment. They locked eyes and the room seemed to fall behind the shadow of a cloud. The whirring of Santana's computer on her desk was the only noise that broke the silence.

"Santana-"

"You promised you would tell me the truth, Brittany."

"I know, but Santana-"

Brittany wouldn't meet her eye, so Santana moved closer until she was almost between Brittany's legs.

"So, tell me."

Brittany looked up and watched her closely. Santana swept her gaze over her face. Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, Brittany nodded.

"I am."

Santana sat back with a sigh, but she left her hands on Brittany's thighs. After all this time… She was relieved, and happy, and a bit scared, but she wasn't sure how much to say.

"Aren't you afraid?" Brittany's voice was so small that Santana had to strain to hear it.

"Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you? Ever since we've met, you've only taken care of me, Britt. I would never worry about being alone with you."

The worry crease on Brittany's face faded slightly. "So, you believe in vampires? You know about us?"

"I don't know much, but I know you're real. Everything makes sense now! I thought you were strange, not a bad strange, mind you, just different, and I liked it about you, but makes everything make sense! I knew I wasn't crazy."

Santana was talking a mile a minute. She really was excited. This mattered in ways that Brittany couldn't even realize.

"Santana. I have to go."

Santana furrowed her brow. "What? Why?"

"I can't explain now. But I will explain everything to you, very soon, okay?"

Santana couldn't have things end like this, she just couldn't. There was too much at stake.

"Brittany, you can't go."

"I have to, Santana, but I promise I'll explain everything when I see you again."

Brittany stood in a flash, and leaned against the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.

Frantic, Santana pulled the box of paperclips from where they had fallen in her lap, when she's moved closer to Brittany. Santana held them out in one trembling hand.

Brittany looked up from her task, one shoe on, the other in her hand.

"What is that, Santana?"

"It's like in basement of the library, right? If I drop these, you have to stop, you have to pick them up. You'll have to count them."

" _There isn't time, Santana_." Brittany hissed.

"But Brittany, I need you now. I can't tell you how important this is to me. I can't tell you how long I've waited."

Santana's hand wouldn't stop trembling. She didn't want to have to do it. But she had no choice. Now was the time she had been waiting for for years and she hadn't even known it.

Brittany looked at her sharply, a soft pleading in her eyes. "Santana, I have to do this. I have to go. You know that if I had a choice I wouldn't. You already know everything about me, and I told you willingly. You have to trust me."

The box trembled and Santana's eyes passed between it and the silent request that reflected back at her in bright blue. She couldn't do it. Brittany had trusted her, she cared about her, she couldn't use her weakness in this way. She couldn't exploit her compulsion. She looked again to the box, and back to Brittany, who stood quickly, never taking her eyes off of Santana.

"Santana, don't. Please."Brittany whispered.

"Brittany, I need you to stay here. I need you right now. You can't leave."

Santana's voice cracked with emotion. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to get Brittany to see, but now that she had a chance, she couldn't let it go.

"I don't have a choice, Santana. I have to move now, or lose an opportunity that I may never get back. I need you to understand-"

"I want you to turn me."

\

Brittany blinked a few times as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Quinn had called her a few minutes before and had made it clear in no uncertain terms that seeing her in the next 20 minutes was a necessity. She was supposed to be meeting her, Puck and Kurt at some spot out in Brooklyn and she was still feeling a little woozy from the garlic (she can't believe she'd been so distracted that she hadn't noticed the smell), and she could hear Sam trying to convince Mercedes outside that it wasn't her fault that she hadn't asked if anyone had any food allergies before dinner, and Santana had been sitting so close to her, she could practically feel her body heat, and now she was standing in front of her, holding a box of what seemed to be paperclips, and asking her impossible questions.

"You want me to do what?"

Santana took a step forward, Brittany took a step back. She was still trying to get her bearings a little bit. She was still confused. She was still unsure of what Santana meant to do with that box of paperclips.

"I want to be like you. I want to be a vampire." With that, Santana raised her hand, tugging the collar of her shirt down, exposing her neck.

She took another step forward.

Brittany took another step back.

"Santana, it doesn't work like that."

"How does it work then?"

Another step.

"Not like that."

"Why not?"

"I don't have time to get into all of it, but it just doesn't, and even if it did, I wouldn't do it for two important reasons."

Another step.

The back of Brittany legs knocked against the nightstand beside Santana's bed. She had very few options left.

"What are they?"

Santana took a small step closer. Brittany could see her jugular vein pulsating near the skin on her neck. Brittany could still breathe, but the space between them was closing quickly.

"Firstly, I don't drink humans. I mean, not anymore. I haven't in years. It's better for me, and even though I occasionally stop by a blood bank, I don't partake in the flesh, so to speak."

Another step from Santana, and Brittany started looking for possible escape routes. There was a sliver of light to Santana's right. She shifted to make her move.

"And the second reason?"

The words stopped Brittany in her tracks, and Santana used that moment to take another step forward. There was almost no room left between the two of them. Brittany's senses were filled with Santana.

"Huh?"

"The second reason? You said there were two reasons."

Santana was looking up at her with those dark eyes. Those smoky, brown depths that made her want to forget everything, including her own name, and just get lost.

Brittany licked her lips.

"Uh, yeah, well, the second reason is that I don't want you to turn."

"Why not?" Santana repeated.

Brittany's attention focused. She looked Santana hard in the eyes. She wanted her to feel this. She didn't want her to forget it.

"Because it's no life for a person. It is a misery, and a punishment, and fit only for those who have committed the of gravest sins."

Santana stared at her for a moment, open mouthed, and Brittany took the opportunity, slipping by, and within a flash, her hand was on the knob.

"Brittany-"

Santana had barely turned before Brittany blew her a kiss, and marched out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She moved towards the living room, scooping up her helmet from where it lay on the counter.

"Thank you so much for a lovely evening, Mercedes. Sam. I hope I didn't scare you with that issue I had earlier. It's really a mild thing. I'm feeling better already!"

She tried to have a smile that matched her tone. She wasn't sure if it was working or not. "Anyway. I've got to run. We'll have to do it again soon.

Before they could reply, Brittany was out the door. She didn't bother checking her speed, racing down the stairs, and out the door. She was on her bike, with her helmet strapped in a moment later.

It might have been faster to run, but she didn't want to draw any undue attention when she arrived. Her bike would be a bit slower, but it was more low key than showing up in a windy blur. She cranked the engine, and began pulling into traffic. A quick look back up to Santana's apartment gave her a glimpse of the brunette, her head hanging out of the window, mouth open. She looked like she wanted to call after Brittany, but knew it was too late.

\

As Brittany pulled up to the address that Quinn had given her, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Psssst!"

Brittany rolled her eyes and moved towards Quinn who was standing in a nearby alleyway.

"He's up there, but we've got company."

Brittany followed Quinn's pointing finger up the street. She balked as she caught a glimpse of Jane's afro in a van window. Turning her ear towards the vehicle, she could hear the faint din of Rachel complaining about something from the front seat.

 _Shit._

"You _know_ them, Brittany?" Quinn said, disbelievingly.

Brittany looked at Kurt, but decided that was too dangerous when he looked guiltily away. She started staring at the bricks of the alley wall.

"Know is a strong word, Quinn."

"Who is...?" Quinn scrunched her face as though she saw something distasteful. "Who is Santana? Brittany-"

"How about we worry about the Schuester situation, and then we can decide on who I should or shouldn't know."

Quinn's attitude was infectious and Brittany raised her voice a bit, regardless of the panicked look on Puck's face.

Quinn fearlessly moved towards Brittany, invading her personal space. "How about we start with when and where and _why_ you started hanging out with humans enough to know them. Especially the one that you seem to have feelings for! How could you not tell me about this Brittany?"

Puck stepped in between them. "How about we start with getting the doodad from Schuester, and returning it to Sue, and we'll figure out the rest later?"

His interruption broke through the momentum that had been building. Brittany already knew that it wasn't worth arguing with Quinn about Santana. Not at the moment, anyway.

"Fine." Said Quinn, with authority. "But this girl better not get in the way of our plans."

Quinn's tone startled Brittany. It was sharp and short, she hadn't heard that tone pointed at her in a long time.

Brittany was angry and a little annoyed, but she regarded Quinn with a tilt of her face.

"What's wrong, Q?"

But Quinn was already moving in the shadows, behind the van, and towards the side of another building Brittany didn't recognize. It wasn't the one that she had been to before with Santana. She looked around, turning an ear towards the van she'd seen Jane and Rachel in.

"We _have_ to wait on her, she's on her way."

"Rachel, if we wait any longer it might be too late."

"We wait on Santana. Period. Call her again."

The rest of the conversation was lost to Brittany as she quickly crossed the street, leading the way. The others took up a protective ring around Quinn as well. It was unconscious, but it was a well known fact that Quinn had no more physical abilities than the average human. What she lacked in physical prowess, she made up for in intellect, and influence, but it might come in less handy if Will decided to get physical again.

They reached the side of the building, and Quinn nodded towards a door propped open with a small toolbox. They went through the door, Brittany leading the way again down the long corridor, moved along the wall, and looked back to Quinn when they reached a bend.

"442." Quinn whispered, barely moving her lips at all.

Brittany didn't respond, but nodded, and crept forward. She pushed a door that led to a stairwell, and then moved quietly up the steps, not moving too quickly, lest she and Kurt, leave Puck and Quinn behind. They reached the 4th floor without incident. Then, standing behind the closed door, leading out into the hallway, Brittany raised her hand for their group to stop, and closed her eyes, listening at the door.

There were footsteps moving down the long end of the hall, but she ignored them, because they were moving towards the other end of the hall. She wasn't worried about residents of this building, there was only one person she was worried about causing a ruckus. And it wasn't the neighbor with the high blood pressure.

She opened the door a crack, and peeked down the hallway. There didn't seem to be anyone there, and she certainly couldn't hear anyone moving towards the hallway, so she leaned back towards the group.

"I'm going to go on ahead. Kurt, you stand at the door, ready to make your move when I give you the signal. Hopefully we can get in and get out without any problem."

"And remember, don't hurt him!" Quinn hissed, giving Brittany a stern look.

Brittany raised an eyebrow, but ducked her head without comment, moving through the door quickly.

She covered the meters in a matter of seconds, stopping right outside the door, and waiting a moment, listening closely for the sound of any movement in the apartment. She was about to move when she heard two familiar voices from the other side of the door.

"You idiot!"

Will was screaming loudly, and pacing up and down the room.

"I didn't think-"

The sniveling response came from Blaine who apparently was the subject to WIll's wrath.

"That's right. You didn't think! I should have listened to Santana. She told me you were an idiot, but I didn't believe her."

Brittany flinched at the sound of Santana's name. She refocused her attention to the conversation behind the door.

"You posted that you were going to get the artifact on that stupid website of yours! You must know that there are people watching it! Monitoring it!"

Blaine didn't respond verbally, but must have made some response, because Will continued.

"We don't have any time, and the thing is here, right now. I won't have time to get rid of it if something goes wrong."

This was all the information that Brittany needed. She placed on hand on the knob, and feeling it turn slightly under her grip, took a chance, and swung door open.

Unfortunately the chain was latched, so the door noisily bounced closed again.

Brittany heard a flurry of activity, and Blaine yelling out, while Will scrambled around. She tried again with the door, pushing it more firmly this time. The chain snapped, and the door sung open. She could hear the door from the stairwell open, and imagined Kurt poking his head through the door, in search of the signal.

Which they hadn't really established.

Brittany was about to call for him when she got her first look into the room. Blaine was almost upended on the couch, feet waving wildly as he must have tripped over the couch in his haste.

A snap and a crash found Brittany covered in liquid again, for the second time in Will's apartment, but she soon found her senses overwhelmed as for the second time that night, she was surrounded by the aroma of garlic.

"Quinn!" She managed to choke out, as she crumbled to the ground.

Brittany buried her face in her sleeve as the water ran down her face. It managed to keep the majority of it out of her eyes, nose and mouth, but the burning in her throat continued. She was just able to see Will grab a bag, and head out the nearest window. Blaine was a few steps behind him, but not nearly as gracefully.

Kurt was at her side in a flash, kneeling down and looking into her face.

"Are you okay, Britt?"

Brittany pointed with her free hand towards the window that Blaine was quickly disappearing through.

Kurt didn't need any more encouragement and sped after them. Right before he reached the window, there was a scream, and Brittany saw Blaine's hand reach up to grab the railing. He was losing his footing, and a moment away from tumbling over the side.

With a small squeak, Kurt, cleared the rest of the room, and grabbed Blaine's hand, yanking him back into the window with tug. They landed together in a tumble of limbs, and Brittany got shakily to her feet, stepping over them, and looking down the fire escape.

Puck and Quinn chose that exact moment to make it through the door, and Brittany waved her arms wildly at them.

"Downstairs! He's going downstairs! Head him off at the front door."

Quinn immediately turned, racing out the door, and Puck with her a few seconds later.

Brittany looked to Kurt, who seemed to be doing his best to pull the relieved Blaine off his body, figured he'd be all right on his own, and climbed through the window.

With the earlier accidental ingestion, and now this new exposure, Brittany wasn't feeling her best, but she made a game attempt to chase Will down the ladder. She could see the doors of Artie's van open, and everyone pile out. A dark figure approached the group, and as they turned to see what the racket was that was coming from the side of the building, Brittany could see that it was Santana.

She almost stumbled, and grabbed the railing of the fire escape. She could see Santana as clearly as ever. Her eyes wide with concern, turning to confusion and then annoyance as she realized Brittany was the one chasing after Will.

Will had cleared another landing, and was near the bottom.

Brittany slid/rolled down another flight of stairs, and groaned as she hit the bottom. She would never catch him at this rate.

The doors to the front of the door slammed open, and Puck burst through, Quinn on his back. She pointed and he headed towards Will as well, though it was clear that if he was trying to make a getaway, he was doing a hell of a job with it.

Rachel shrieked, nearly bursting Brittany's ear drums, and Santana, seemingly always in tune with Brittany, smacked Rachel on the arm, and started moving towards Will as well. She spared a glance at Brittany, and slowed down just a bit.

Will took a left, and Puck followed after. Only able to see the prey in his sights. Brittany could see the angle both groups were in, and tried calling out.

Quinn looked up at her, furrowing her brow slightly. She was about to whisper her question when Will took another turn too quickly, cutting Santana, Rachel and Jane, and leading Puck right into them.

There was a huge crash as they all collided, Jane the only one managed to stay on her feet.

"This is like the follies."

THe voice at her ear made her jump, but she realized it was only Kurt, watching the scene below with some interest.

Brittany smacked his arm. "Why don't you get down there and _help_ them, then?"

He didn't have time to respond before there was a screech, and a dark car pulled out of the alleyway, and pulled to a stop beside Will.

Before any of them could react, a hand reached out, pulling him into the car, and then sped away into the night.

"Goddammit." Brittany breathed. "Tina."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"I'd know all those stupid rings anywhere. It was her."

"Well, at least we got him."

Brittany turned to face Kurt. " _We_ didn't get him, Kurt. Tina got him."

"Fine, fine. But at least Sue will be happy."

"Sure." Brittany crossed her arms with a pout.

She turned attention back to the mass of bodies that were on the ground below her. She could hear Santana screaming for someone to get off her legs.

"Help me up, Kurt."

Kurt obliged, helping her to her feet, and getting her down the fire escape without any further incident. Everyone was mostly up by the time they reached them, except for Puck, who was on the curb, holding his knee.

"You know I've got a bum knee. I've always had a bum knee. I got a bum knee fighting in Constantinople."

Quinn rolled her eyes, and turned accusingly towards Brittany.

"How'd this happen? You were supposed to get in and signal."

"I was going to signal, but he threw some new concoction in my face, I think it has garlic in it. It's weak but-"

"If it's weak, then why didn't you get after him?"

"I'd had some _issues_ earlier, and I was still a little weak. Quinn-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Brittany! This was ours, and you screwed it up. I don't know how Sue is going to take this news, and if you think-"

"Leave her alone."

Santana's voice was barely above a whisper, and yet it carried over the loud and almost hysterical tone of Quinn's.

Everyone turned to look at her, and Quinn blinked disbelievingly. "What did you say?"

"I said, leave her alone. She didn't screw up, we all screwed up, and now he's gone, so what does it matter. If you're the 'leader' of this little group, you'd think that you'd take more time trying to think of solutions instead of trying to lay blame."

The group stood shocked. Brittany was shocked. She didn't know anyone who spoke to Quinn that way. Not even Sue. Brittany put her hands up in front of Quinn before anything else could be said.

"Now Quinn-"

Quinn was already past Brittany, who shocked by her speed, could only stand for a moment with her mouth open.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Brittany gets a little crush on you, and all of a sudden, you know her? Well, I'll have you know that I've known her for a lot longer than you, little one, and I will destroy you before you even get a chance to see if this little love affair of yours goes anywhere."

She was advancing on Santana, who didn't move, or even seem alarmed, and just stood, arms crossed with a vaguely bored look on her face. Brittany would have been impressed if she didn't feel the lightning in Quinn's voice.

"I'll have you know that Santana is no slouch either, and if you'd like to engage in a battle of fisticuffs, you will find no more dangerous a partner."

Rachel had positioned herself in front of Santana a step, bringing Quinn to a screeching halt.

"And who the hell are you?"

"I'm Santana's best friend-"

"I have socks that I like more than you, Berry."

"Confidante-"

"Doubtful."

"And loudest cheerleader."

"I think my sister might have something to say about that."

"And I will NOT have you talking to her that way."

Rachel crossed her arms defiantly, standing firmly in Quinn's path.

Quinn blinked a few more times, squinted, and then cocked her head to the side as she regarded Rachel.

Brittany stared slack jawed at the scene. She wasn't sure to start moving towards Santana, Rachel or Quinn.

Suddenly, Quinn rolled her eyes, and flipping her hair, moved away from Rachel and Santana.

"Whatever." She deadpanned over her shoulder.

Brittany looked frantically to Kurt and Puck who had the same wide eyed shock that reflected her feelings as well.

"Hurry up and talk to your girlfriend, Brittany, and let's get out of here."

Brittany barely had time to react before Puck and Kurt scurried after Quinn. Rachel grabbed Jane, and marched back towards the van, where Artie had rolled down the front window and was yelling at them for an update.

Brittany, who had before been too caught up in the moment, now turned to Santana, hands in her pockets, staring guiltily at the ground.

"I guess we should talk, then."

For her part, Santana looked just as abashed, nodding her head away from Quinn and down the street.

"Agreed. Walk with me?"

Brittany felt a dropping in the pit of her stomach. She liked Santana. She wanted to be around her more and more. And, that evening, spending time with her and Mercedes and Sam, she'd felt more at home than she had in a long time. She didn't want to lose that.

"Okay." The gentle response was all she could muster as she took a few quick steps, and heard Santana fall in behind her.


	8. The Thing About Ground Rules

_Hope you enjoy the update!_

* * *

 _Santana's mother was a singer. Not professionally, no, but she loved to sing and she had a beautiful voice. She would sing to Santana when Santana was taking a bath, or getting ready for bed, or going for a walk. Anytime Julieta Lopez held her baby girl in her arms, she felt the need to sing to her. And so Santana grew up with a love of music._

 _Julieta wasn't a singer, but she was generally very "liberal" with her pursuits. It was one night after her mother had been busted at a house party for smoking weed that she'd met Santana's father, Ramón, who was a beat cop just coming in to the station for the night._

 _He had passed by the tanks (where they left the drunks to dry out for the night) because he had forgotten something in his locker when he saw her. The way he'd always described it to Santana when she was growing up was like something about of a Nicholas Sparks movie._

 _Julieta was arguing with another officer who was trying to get her to stop singing old Dominican love ballads, and was making some points about freedom of expression. It wasn't going well._

 _Ramón managed to defuse the situation (as he often did), and made quite the impression on Julieta before disappearing with her on his mind._

 _It wasn't until a few months later when they ran into each other at a bar that the real courtship began. They talked and flirted all night, and at midnight, they kissed in the pouring rain._

 _Hearing how her parents met and fell in love was one of Santana's favorite stories._

 _In fact, she just like hearing her mother talk. She was from Puerto Rican parents and the first of her family born in America, but she had a New York accent that no one could ignore. She also had the attitude that came with it. (Which is how she ended up in Lima, Ohio in first place, after her family sent her to live with some cousins who they thought could straighten her out.)_

 _She would tell Santana stories of life in New York, and the summers that she spent in Puerto Rico. She would sometimes revert to beautiful Spanish that would lilt and curl, and painted a picture of sandy beaches, and large plates of food, surrounded by loved ones._

 _Sometimes she would hum a wordless melody, while stroking Santana's long pigtails, or sing a song full out, her voice twisting and turning with each syllable. Santana could tell a lot about her mother through the way that she sung. When her voice was free and full, she was happy. She would smile with her bright eyes, and take Santana's hand, twirling in a little dance. When her voice was high and tight, she was sad, sometimes angry. She would have just argued with Ramón about something. About wanting to move back to New York. About wanting to leave the house. About a lot of things._

 _It wasn't that Ramón Lopez was a controlling or deviant man. He wasn't. He simply had very old fashioned ideas about the women in his life. Something drummed into him by his strict mother. His one act of rebellion was marrying Julieta. His one mistake was thinking that he could change her._

 _And so it was. They gave birth to little Santana, and it was the greatest gift that Julieta ever gave Ramón. But, as Santana grew older, she could feel the tension between her two parents. The fights started getting more frequent, the time that they spent together more fleeting. Santana was nine years old the first time they had an all out screaming match and her mother stormed out, slamming the door._

 _She didn't come home to tuck Santana into bed that night. Santana missed her voice so much that she cried herself to sleep._

 _From then on Julieta spent less and less time at home. The arguments became more brutal. Her mother's soft and lilting voice becoming harsh and angry. Her father's cool and calm voice becoming loud and booming. The little disagreements they had had early on in their relationship becoming bigger, meaner. Julieta Lopez fell in with an unsavory group in their little town. She would come home late at night, reeking of booze or weed, or worse, and Ramón would be sitting up for her, waiting after a long shift, ready to meet her at the door._

 _"Do you know what time it is, Julieta?"_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry, Officer Lopez, I didn't realize you were my mother!"_

 _"I'm not your mother but Santana has been here all afternoon, alone-"_

 _"How would you know, Ramón? You're never here-"_

 _And so it would continue into the night. They would switch rapidly between English and Spanish, and even though Santana's Spanish wasn't as good as it should have been, she heard her name dropped in every couple of moments. It always made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end._

 _It was around then that Santana started spending more nights at Mercedes'._

 _The worst night of Santana's life began in this very same fashion._

 _They were in the sixth grade, and she had been at Mercedes' house for a long weekend. The Joneses liked to take weekend trips around Ohio, dragging Santana along to museums and little shops while Dr. Jones browsed decorative spoons, and Mrs. Jones learned how butter was made. They had gotten in late because of bad weather, and Mercedes and Santana had gone straight to bed, only bothering to brush their teeth before collapsing. They were dozing off when suddenly someone knocked on the door. It opened a crack._

 _"Girls, are you awake?"_

 _Dr. Jones' voice was quiet and serious. Something in his tone made Santana sit up quickly._

 _"Yeah, what's up?"_

 _He opened the door wider. "Santana, come out here for a second, someone wants to see you."_

 _Santana had actually felt elated in that moment. She thought it was her mother, coming to see her. Coming to get her and take her back home, and sing her to sleep, like she used to do. Santana's face lit up and she raced out the door, and down the stairs._

 _But she stopped in her tracks. Mrs. Jones was sitting on the couch crying softly, and instead of her mother, standing there to greet her was her dad's partner, Rick._

 _His face gave everything away before he even said a word._

 _"No…" Santana whispered, her eyes growing wide._

 _Rick's face broke, curling into a grimace before he moved towards Santana._

 _"San, I'm so sorry."_

 _"No, no, no." Tears streaming down her face, Santana backed up slowly, before turning around, rushing past Mercedes and out the door._

 _"Santana!" Mercedes called out behind her._

\

To call Santana asking Brittany to turn her in a vampire a plan would be giving Santana far too much credit. She hadn't thought past the initial conversation, and now, as they walked along quiet, deserted streets, she had even less to say. She would get an idea of how to start in her head, turning in over and over and examining it from every angle until she was sure she knew how she'd put it. But, as soon as she'd open her mouth, she'd look at Brittany and everything would fall apart.

She liked Brittany. She liked her a lot, and if what they had was hanging on by a thread, she didn't want to be the one that broke it. They walked along for a few more minutes.

"So, you-"  
"Brittany, I-"

They had turned to each other to start their sentence, but turned away, cheeks burning in the biting air. Brittany felt it less than Santana, but the chill was still there, and not for the first time that night, she shivered.

Brittany held out a hand. "No, please, you start."

"No, no, I interrupted you. Sorry. You go."

Brittany stopped walking, shoving her hands into the yellow jean jacket she wore. She grinned cheekily.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to say."

Santana almost breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't the only one. She wasn't sure what would happen between the two of them, but it didn't seem that Brittany hated her, and that mattered for something.

"Me neither."

Santana started walking again, not minding that she didn't really have any idea where they were, and that it probably wasn't the safest walking around these streets at night. But for some reason, with Brittany by her side, she didn't seem to care.

"So, you're a vampire, huh?"

Santana asked nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders lightly and ducking her head to avoid Brittany's eye.

Brittany's smile slipped. She worried her bottom lip in her teeth.

"Yeah."

They walked on for a few moments more, before Santana stopped. Brittany noticed immediately, and stopped beside her, still not quite willing to turn her way.

"Why didn't you tell me, Britt?"

Brittany stared down at the ground, tapping the heel of one shoe against the toe of another.

"I don't know. I didn't want you to hate me? I didn't want you to be afraid? I didn't want to lose-"

Brittany cut herself off, but Santana picked up the thread.

"Lose what, Brittany?"

Brittany turned her body further away from Santana, exhaling loudly in the cold night air. Santana couldn't let this go. She just needed confirmation. She just needed Brittany to say the word. She just needed to know.

"Lose what, Britt?" She said again, her voice barely above a whisper.

Santana moved around Brittany until they were standing face to face. She gently used her finger on Brittany's chin to raise her eyes until they were looking deeply at one another. She could see the worry in Brittany's eyes, felt the quiver of her chin.

Brittany sighed deeply. "Lose you. I didn't want to lose you, San."

Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, pulling her in close. She could smell the earthy aroma that seemed to emanate from Brittany's pores. The fragrance soothed and comforted her. She pulled Brittany closer.

"It's okay. It's okay." She shushed her quietly, while Brittany huffed into her shoulder. "You're a little clingy. We haven't even known each other for that long." Santana joked.

Brittany laughed softly. "You know, I really, really hate waiting."

Santana turned, linking her pinky finger with Brittany's. "Do you know where we are?"

Brittany turned her head before smiling softly. "No, but I can hear Rachel from here. Should we go back that way?"

Santana shook her head quickly. "No, I think I've had enough of Berry for the night." She waited a beat before raising a brow. "You can hear her from here?"

"Yeah! I can hear a lot of stuff. See things too. I'm pretty good at all that stuff. Smell, touch, taste."

The way Brittany said that last word made her shudder. She ignored the tightness in her stomach.

"Can everybody do that? Like, all of you?"

Brittany shrugged. "Some can. But, there are different strengths that people have. I have crazy good senses. I'm strong, and I'm fast. Kurt can read minds. Some people have a few, some have only one or two."

"Read minds?"

"Yeah, I think they call it telepathy. Quinn can do it too, actually."

"So, she knows what I'm thinking?"

"Not all the time. It's a bit complicated, and it takes a lot out of her. So, she has to really focus to get it to work."

"That's amazing. Can you do that?"

"Nah, mine are more physical abilities. I'm kind of a simple person, Santana. I don't do fancy."

Santana laughed. "Got it." She waited a beat. "So, is there anything else you can do?"

Cocking her head, Brittany gave Santana a sideways grin. "Yeah, one more thing."

"What's that?"

Brittany stopped, and looked up and down the street. Santana gulped as Brittany got closer. So close that she could feel the traces of warm breath on her face. Brittany put her arms around Santana, and her heartbeat skyrocketing. The tingling under her skin got louder, and she could feel it up her spin. It wasn't fear. Not with Brittany. But it wasn't excitement either. It was something altogether different. Something that shook her to her toes.

She looked at Brittany closer as she looked up to the sky. "Hold on."

Santana didn't hesitate, gripping Brittany even tighter, and burying her face in her shoulder, pressing up firmly to Brittany's collarbone.

Suddenly, she felt the feet fall away from the ground, and with a squeak, wrapped her legs around Brittany. Brittany gasped at the feeling, and Santana could feel her grasp become a bit tighter. The wind rushed around her face, and her hair flapping in the breeze.

Santana ventured a peek and saw the bright lights on the street zoom away, and suddenly become tiny dots in the distance. She pressed her face back into Brittany's shoulder, and could feel the smile forming on Brittany's face.

"Y-you can fly?" Santana croaked, gingerly pulling her face away again to look around.

"Yep! Only one other person I know can do it besides me."

Brittany was shouting over the sound of the wind rushing by them, and Santana became more at ease, loosening her grip, and looking carefully over Brittany's shoulder. The world was speeding by, the lights of the city shining below them. They weren't that high up, and she could even make out people walking on the street.

"It's kind of like your motorcycle."

Brittany laughed, and Santana could feel the sound deep in her chest. She started, realizing how close she was to Brittany, but couldn't really do anything about the situation at the moment. To be honest, she was enjoying it. With Brittany's arms wrapped around her, she felt happy. And safe. And as comforted as she had felt in a long time.

She looked again over Brittany's shoulder onto the ground. Instead of the dizzy feeling she's been expecting, she felt exhilarated. A laugh bubbled from somewhere in her chest.

"Enjoying yourself?" Brittany said, smiling.

Santana nodded. "I feel like Lois Lane."

"I'll be happy to be your Superman."

"Sappy." Santana smirked, rolling her eyes.

"I know, I know."

They glided for a few more minutes, with Santana pointing out landmarks on the road, before Brittany gradually took them to the ground, landing with a soft bump. They had landed around the back of the diner that they'd had their first date at. The place with the rainbow sprinkles. The flight, the nostalgia of the moment, and being so close to Brittany served to excite Santana even more. Unlocking her legs from around Brittany, Santana bounced to the ground.

"Holy shit! That was amazing! I can't believe it. You're amazing, Brittany!"

Brittany smiled, mesmerized by Santana's excitement.

Realizing that she was making rather a spectacle of herself, Santana calmed down dramatically, folding her hands in front of her, and looking at her toes. She had a reputation to maintain.

"I mean, it was okay."

She didn't want Brittany thinking that she was some sort of spaz. Especially now that she had been given this huge secret that she had to keep. She tried to straighten out the grin on her face, and looked up to meet Brittany's eyes through her eyelashes. She gasped when she realized Brittany was standing right in front of her, so close their shoes nearly touched.

Then, without another word, Brittany reached a hand under Santana's chin, lifting her face, and leaning in ever so slowly, pressed her lips against Santana's. Santana gasped again, filling her lungs with Brittany, and her eyes widened in surprise. The kiss was not unwelcome, but it was certainly unexpected. After a moment Santana melted into it, and her eyes fluttered closed.

This wasn't like any of the other kisses that they'd shared. Those were innocent, but there was no denying the heat behind them. This one seared right through Santana, making the hairs on the back of her head stand on end.

Santana gently reached for Brittany, holding tightly to the back of her arms. It seemed like she was flying again, the gentlest caresses of Brittany on her lips making her forget all of the problems that played on her mind even now. Her lips tingled where they touched Brittany's own, and her heart raced in her chest.

A moment later the Brittany pulled back slowly, measuring Santana with her eyes.

"I hope that was okay."

Santana laughed. "It was more than okay. It was perfect."

They both giggled softly, and Santana laid a head on Brittany's shoulder. Her breath was still fast, she could feel her cheek warming even more where it laid on Brittany's chest.

After a beat, Brittany nudged Santana gently with her chin.

"Say something."

Santana could hear the hitch in Brittany's voice. The momentary hesitation that betrayed her feelings. Of course, she was worried. Worried about what Santana might do. What she might say. Who she might say it to. The secret of who Brittany was something that couldn't be taken lightly. It was something that could put her life in danger. And Santana was the world's foremost expert (no matter what Blaine says) on paranormal happenings. One word from her and things could get very uncomfortable, very quickly. She had no intention of hurting Brittany, she didn't even think that she could, but she was sure that she was locked up in something much bigger than even Santana Lopez might be able to handle.

Santana sighed, burrowing her face into Brittany's shoulder.

"Something." she mumbled.

Brittany laughed, pulling away slightly. Santana wanted to smile, but there was a nervousness behind her laugh as well.

Brittany tilted Santana's chin up gently, looking into her eyes.

"Tell me everything is going to be okay." Brittany whispered.

Santana felt Brittany's breath ghost over her eyebrows, and she inhaled sharply. The feeling of her lips pressed against Brittany's was still fresh in her mind, and she shivered involuntarily.

Santana pulled away even more. "I don't know."

Brittany's face fell. Her eyes met the ground and she sighed deeply.

"It's okay, Santana. I understand."

As she moved to turn away, Santana grabbed her arm. Her back still turned to her, Santana could feel Brittany pause, her whole body tensed to continue with her retreat.

"I just mean, I don't know Quinn, but from what you've told me about her, she'll probably never forgive Rachel for standing up to her like that."

Brittany whipped around, her eyebrow raised in question. "Santana, what does that-"

"It's just that they're our best friends, so they really will need to get along. You know, if we, you know…"

Santana let her voice trail off.

"If we what?" Brittany couldn't hide the cheeky grin on her face. Santana knew Brittany knew what she was getting at, but Brittany wanted her to say it.

"If we, you know, hang out. Together. In the future."

"So, you're saying we might hang out in the future?" Brittany said, slyly.

"Maybe, as long as Mercedes doesn't try to poison you again."

A smile spread across Santana's face at seeing Brittany's excitement. She had to admit she was pretty happy herself. She didn't want to lose Brittany because of something neither of them could help. In response to her joke, Brittany picked Santana up, spinning her around in her arms as if she weighed nothing.

Once she was on her feet again, Santana cleared her throat meaningfully.

"Britt-"

"Yeah, Santana?"

Brittany was looking her right in her eyes; face clear and earnest. For a creature of the night, Santana had never seen a face so innocent. She cleared her throat again.

"I know you already said your part, but I want to ask you again. I want you to consider turning me into a vampire."

Brittany's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"I have my reasons, and you have to believe they're good ones. But, this is something that I want, and I've wanted for a long time. Something- Well, the pieces are just all falling into place, and I think it's fate."

Brittany looked Santana carefully over before she responded. "You don't want this, Santana. Trust me. You don't."

"Why don't you let me decide?"

Santana could feel her voice rising, but couldn't stop it. She wanted this, and her meeting Brittany when she did only confirmed her suspicions. She lost herself in a moment from her past, but cleared her thoughts, and found Brittany staring closely at her.

"I'll think about it." Brittany said suddenly, turning away to walk towards the diner.

Santana had no response, but followed closely behind her. She hoped that Brittany would do what she asked sooner rather than later.

For both their sakes.

\

After saying goodnight for the second time that evening to Santana (maybe after stealing a kiss or two), and locating her bike, Brittany pulled up to the house that she shared with the other members of her clan. She knew that everybody would have returned home immediately after their little altercation with Will. She wasn't looking forward to having to face Sue after her little screw up. Quinn was probably already inside, trying to smooth things over. Brittany wouldn't be surprised at all if everyone saw it as another case of her getting in over her head, and having to get Quinn to fix it. She was tired of playing that part. Tired of everyone underestimating her, thinking she was stupid.

Brittany blew a bit of hair out of her face that had been dislodged by her helmet. She wanted to be annoyed. She wanted to walk into the house all swagger and attitude, but instead of vengeance on her mind, her thoughts kept going back to a brunette with deep dark eyes, and skin a tawny amber, who wouldn't get out of her head. Not that she wanted her to.

Brittany had wanted something a bit more substantive after her run in with so much garlic, but had settled on a stack of pancakes with rainbow sprinkles (she could always eat later, if she wanted). She was relaxed and happier than she'd been in a long time. She and Santana both knew that things might be a little difficult, navigating their own issues as they'd need to do, but they decided that they liked each other enough to give it a shot. Brittany didn't take much convincing, and she had a feeling that Santana didn't either, but they decided that for the sake of their relationship they'd come up with some ground rules.

"No more asking me to turn you."

"But Britt-"

"I mean it, Santana. I said I'd think about it, and I will, but I don't want this to become an issue for us. Like, something that keeps us from appreciating our time together."

Santana thought for a bit and nodded. Brittany had been telling the truth, she'd think about it. But, of course, at the same time, she'd try to think of ways to get Santana to give it up. She wouldn't tell Santana that, but she had to get the idea of becoming a vampire out of her head. She didn't quite understand her reasoning for wanting it so much, but it barely mattered. Whatever she thought she'd be gaining, or whatever she was running away from, wouldn't be worth the risk.

Santana huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Fine."

Brittany smiled, despite herself, and slid out of her side of the booth, and over to the other side, turning her body so she was almost covering Santana's.

"I love it when you pout like that." Brittany purred, her smile as she regarded Santana becoming more and more predatory.

Santana melted a bit, putting her hand on the back of Brittany's neck, and tugging her gently closer.

Forgetting that they were in the middle of the diner (which was mostly empty by this time of night anyway), Brittany leaned forward, brushing her lips lightly over Santana's own, and letting her tongue dart out quickly. Hearing Santana gasp, Brittany felt spurred on, and kissed her even more deeply, pulling softly on Santana's bottom lip with her teeth.

She could practically feel Santana's heart beating almost out of her chest. Her hands roaming over Brittany's shoulders in an attempt to move her even closer. Santana's gasps became full blown pants, when Brittany tugged her neck back and began kissing softly down her throat.

"Brittany-" Santana moaned softly.

"Yeah, Santana?" Brittany breathed in response, keeping steady pressure across her collarbone. Every swipe of her tongue, and every nip cried out Santana's name. Brittany felt drunk on her, but at the same time, the haziness that had been her constant companion all evening faded away. Her every smell, touch, taste, sight and sound was filled with Santana.

Brittany felt a soft touch on her chest.

"Probably not here, Britt."

Brittany cleared her throat, and straightened her leather jacket. As her senses returned she noticed a waitress approaching with a coffee pot. She folded her hands, placing them in her lap, but got a better idea, and placed one in Santana's lap instead.

"More coffee, hon?"

Santana jolted as Brittany's hand squeezed her thigh, before it moved further down.

"Uh, sure." She said, in a voice way too high pitched, and squeaky to be talking about just coffee.

The waitress obliged, before turning back to Brittany.

"How are those pancakes holding up for you, sweetie?"

"Oh, they're great!" Brittany nodded vigorously, using her free hand to grab her fork, while keeping the other one planted firmly between Santana's thighs. She took a large bite as if trying to prove her point.

"I can't get enough!" With this Brittany licked her bottom lip, catching a dribble of syrup that had missed the mark. She couldn't help but throw a seductive glance Santana's way, hidden from the waitress. She could feel Santana shiver beside her.

Brittany watched the waitress walk away, and before she could turn, Santana was at her elbow, nibbling gently on her ear.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to tease?" She grinned, squeezing her thighs around Brittany's hand.

Brittany laughed, chewing her pancakes, and reached for a napkin on the table.

"Brittany?"

Santana's voice had turned suddenly serious, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Well…" Santana turned back towards the table, sliding Brittany's hand from between her thighs, and playing with her fingers.

"Santana, what's wrong? You can tell me."

Santana gathered Brittany's hand, and brought it to her chest. "Nothing's wrong. No, I mean, there are just a lot of things I don't understand."

"A-about what?" Brittany's was having a hard time concentrating, considering that her hand was deep in Santana's cleavage. She took another bite of pancake and tried to focus.

"About you. About vampires." Santana whispered the last word. "I mean, there's so much I don't get. You're, um, allergic to garlic, but when we were stuck in the library you didn't react to that cross at all. But your friend, Mike did. He's a vampire too, right? Or is he a werewolf or something? Anyway, are all vampires like you? Can they all fly? Do you turn into bats? Can you hypnotize me? Do you, um, do you drink blood?"

Brittany laughed. "You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

"Well, it is my job, Britt. And there's no better place to get information than a person that knows firsthand."

"So, you're in full reporter mode, huh?" Smiled Brittany, running a finger down Santana's arm. She felt the shiver that responded to her touch, causing her smile to become even wider.

"Yeah, uh, sure." Santana sounded like she was only barely listening, and Brittany was tempted to see how much further she could get her off topic.

"I'd let you interrogate me anytime."

Brittany let her hand wander up Santana's side, but was stopped by Santana's hard stare.

"I'm serious, Britt. This could be the break I need to finally pull ahead of Blaine."

Brittany frowned. She didn't want Santana using anything that she told her for the show. She didn't want anyone getting hurt because Santana had the inside scoop.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Santana spoke up. "I just mean… I just mean, I want to know as much as I can. I can promise you that anything you tell me won't be on the show."

Brittany felt a bit better. After all they'd been through together, she couldn't help but to trust Santana. And now she was asking for a bit more trust, and Brittany was willing to give it. There wasn't any turning back now. Santana knew her secret, so she was already trusting her with her life.

"Well, first of all, I don't think werewolves exist."

Santana sat back sharply. "Really?"

"Well, I've never seen one. And I've been around a long time."

Santana frowned, and Brittany couldn't help the small laugh that escaped from her.

"What?" Santana said, accusingly.

"I just really love that pout. It's probably my second favorite thing."

"Second favorite?"

"Of course." Said Brittany, tilting her head to the side. "I like seeing you smile much more."

Santana ducked her head, and played with the hem of her dress. "So… How long have you been around, then?"

Brittany had to think for a moment. "More than 200 years, closer to 300 actually."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah, it's been a while." Brittany laughed.

"And, so, how did you become a vampire?" Santana asked, her eyes wide.

Brittany's smile dropped suddenly. She sat back in the booth. "I was bitten."

She didn't want to close off from Santana, but something about the recent goings on with the artifact, and her fights with Quinn had made her even more sensitive about her history, and her past. She felt like Santana in that way; always hiding something from people who only wanted to help. Brittany wasn't normally that way, but she didn't want to bring down Santana with her problems. She didn't want to tell her about the darkness and sadness in her past, lest it taint their new, beautiful thing. It wasn't in her to do that.

Santana pulled Brittany closer to her by the hand that had gone to rest in her lap. She quickly changed the subject.

"What about your friend Mike? Is he really just claustrophobic?"

This brought the smile back to Brittany's face. "Uh, nope. It's, like, his bug."

"Bug?"

"Yeah, everybody's got one. Or some. We used to call them 'defs', short for deficiencies, but I didn't like that, and bugs are small and kind of annoying, so why not?"

"So, you've got a bug?"

"Yeah, like I said, everybody's got one. They're really what you think about when you think about vampires. Garlic, crosses, sunlight, the usual. Some people have one or two, some have five. It just depends."

"Depends on what?"

Brittany shrugged. "Depends on how much human blood you have in your veins. The more you have, the more likely you are to have bugs, and a lot of them."

"Wait, you can have human blood? Like, you're part human?"

"Well, yeah. Humans and vampires aren't really that different. We age more slowly, but we do age. Among other things. But, we're living beings. Anyway, if you get it on with a vampire, and have a baby, your baby is going to be that much less vampire, and have more bugs."

Santana continued to stare wide eyed.

"So, how many bugs do you have?"

"Just two. One of which you already know, and one I think you suspect."

Santana fiddled with Brittany's fingers again.

"That must mean you're really strong."

Brittany only shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Tell me more about your good powers. Like, your flying and stuff."

"Yeah, well, you've seen all I can do. Just the flying, moving really fast, I'm really strong, hearing, sight, smell all really powerful."

Santana leaned in teasingly, dancing her fingers across Brittany's arm. "And touch?"

"Yeah, and touch." Brittany laughed, pulling Santana's fingers away, and kissing them lightly.

"But, wouldn't it drive you crazy? Having your senses so heightened all the time?"

"At first, yeah, it did. But I got a handle on them, and now I can turn them up if I need to, or down if I have to concentrate on something else. Or someone."

Brittany took one of Santana's knuckles into her mouth, sucking lightly. The move would have distracted Santana, but she was in investigation mode, and Brittany was quickly learning there was no turning her off without some major distraction. The kind of distraction that wouldn't be possible in a diner with people around. At least not in one where they were naked from the waist down.

"I want to try!" Santana piped up, nudging Brittany to let her out the booth.

"Huh?"

Brittany scooted out, and watched in amusement as Santana stood, and motioning for her to stay put, jogged across the room, until her back was against the opposite wall. They were separated by about 30 feet, and Santana covered her mouth, whispering behind her hand.

Brittany smiled in amusement, leaning her chin on her folded hands. Then watched closely as Santana came bounding back over, before crashing in beside her.

"So..." Santana said, smiling mysteriously. "What did I say?"

"Well, firstly, my leg won't even bend that far. I'm flexible, but not that flexible."

Santana gasped, laughing. "I can't believe it, you really could hear everything?"

"And, secondly, I don't think that Mercedes would appreciate us soiling your kitchen table like that."

Santana's laughter got even louder and she held her sides. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't hear all of that."

Brittany giggled a bit too, and put her arm around Santana, pulling her close. She suddenly felt a vibration beside her, and groaned as Santana leaned over to pull her cell phone out her pocket.

"Hello?"

Brittany didn't need exceptional hearing to make out what Mercedes was saying on the other side.

"Santana! I just got off the phone with Rachel, and she said everything went crazy at Will's!"

"Yeah, MJ, it's okay, I'm fine. I'm with Brittany."

"Brittany? As in, 'is possibly a vampire and was just passed out at our house' Brittany? Santana-"

"Yes, and I'm fine, Mercedes. I'll be home soon."

"Please don't have me up all night, Santana, okay? I want to see you before I go to bed."

Santana hung up with a sigh, and slid the phone back into her pocket.

"Sorry, I'd better go. She worries, you know."

Brittany only smiled softly. "You're lucky, you know?"

"Lucky?"

"Having someone who cares about you as much as she does. As she and Sam both obviously do. I have my friends, and I have the family I've made, but, well, you're a person that knows loss, Santana. You're lucky to have someone like that who really cares."

Santana cocked her head to the side and regarded Brittany carefully. "I know. She means a lot to me. They both do."

"Good."

Brittany hoped she wasn't betraying the sadness in her voice. She meant what she said. And even though she had Quinn, Puck, Mike and the rest, she sometimes felt like she was missing that kind of love in her life. That selfless love. She sighed as she watched Santana ease out of the booth.

"You coming, Britt?"

Brittany shook herself, and followed Santana out of the restaurant. She smiled as Santana took her hand as they stepped out of the door.

"I wouldn't want you getting lost on the way."

Brittany shook her hand free, wrapping it around Santana, and taking her left hand in her own.

"No, I wouldn't want that."

Brittany had let the memory lead her up the steps, and into the house, but now as she stood in the doorway to her rooms, she could hear Sue yelling from her office.

That was never good.

With a sigh she mounted the stairs, and tried to slip in quietly.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't tall, blonde and stupid. Glad you could finally join us. Quinn and the rest of your motley crew came in almost two hours ago. This was, of course, thirty minutes after Tina brought us the artifact. So, what's the reason you managed to fail so miserably, and then not even have the decency to show your face until now?"

The room was silent as they all waited for Brittany's response. She took a breath, ready to tell Sue exactly what she thought of her search for this relic, when she noticed Quinn out the corner of her eye. Quinn was sitting next to Puck, looking abashed, but when she met Brittany's eye the fire flared again, and she shook her head slightly. The warning glance told her all Brittany needed to know. She bit her tongue.

"My bike had a flat." Brittany said evenly.

She didn't even bother to try and stump Sue with any of her normal games. She wanted this to be over, she wanted to move on. She wanted to go back to Santana. Anyway, she hadn't wanted Sue to get the relic in the first place. They all still had no idea what it did, but Sue having it seemed to be the worst possible solution. Brittany supposed that at this point it didn't really matter.

Sue measured her for a beat, and then turned back to the group.

"Well, while the rest of you were out lollygagging, my girl Tina here went out and got results. And even though she may be destined to inherit her parent's dry cleaners one day-"

TIna winced.

"For now she's going to be one of the first to enjoy the power that this little toy can bring."

Sue opened up a gilded box, the inside lined with a deep red velvet, and pulled the artifact from it. She cradled it in her hands reverently, and then gently held it up for all to see.

Everyone seemed to surge forward as one. Brittany stayed pressed against the far wall looking bored. It was the first time in a long time that she didn't play along with Sue's little games. She didn't know if she ever wanted to again.

"But first-" Sue announced "We must complete the ceremony."

Sugar was the first to speak up at that remark. "Complete it? How?"

"Well, Miss Cash-for-Brains, I was just getting to that part, if you'll let me finish."

Brittany heard Sugar gulp loudly beside her.

"To complete the ceremony, we'll need the blood of an elder."

The room broke into an excited buzz. Brittany wasn't sure what Sue meant. The elders of their clan had been dead for generations, and Sue had been around longer than anybody else.

Sugar again spoke up, voicing what they all were thinking. "But Sue, you're older than all of us."

Sue advanced on Sugar. "And I got here by knowing when to speak up, and when to shut up. I suggest you do more of the latter."

Sugar sat back in the chair with a thump.

"Now, if that's of the interruptions, I can tell you about part two of this plan."

She looked around sharply, daring anyone else to speak up. When no one said a word, she continued.

"The blood is hidden away, like the artifact was, somewhere in the city. I know it's here because I brought it myself, in preparation for such a day. But, it's gone missing, so I need you all to find it. Once I use the blood on this relic, the ritual will be complete, and we will all be whole once again."

The buzz cut through again, but one look from Sue silenced the room.

"The search will be like the last one, but we shouldn't have any trouble from Schuester. He doesn't even know this thing exists, so he won't be looking for it. It should make it easy for the dimmest among you to find it easily."

She looked pointedly at Brittany, and turned back to the group.

"Any questions?" Without a pause she turned and walked back towards her chambers, Becky following behind her. "I don't care, figure it out yourselves."

Becky slammed the door closed.

As everyone filed out, Brittany caught up with Quinn, attaching herself to her elbow.

"I guess Sue really laid into us, huh?"

"Yeah, she laid into us. While you were out having flying lessons with your girlfriend."

Brittany wanted to act like she was even the smallest bit annoyed, but she couldn't. The idea of Santana being referred to as her girlfriend made her giddy. She smiled with a faraway look in her eye.

"Yeah."

"Brittany, are you even listening to me? You've got to get your head on straight. Sue was seeing red. I mean, even more so than usual. We have got to fix this."

"I know, Quinn, don't worry, I'm on it."

"You'd better be."

They stopped in front of Quinn's door, neither one of them ready to say goodbye. Even though they fought sometimes, they'd been through so much together, they didn't have anyone else the way they had each other.

"She's really terrific, Quinn." Brittany said, smiling softly again.

"She'd better be, for all the trouble you're getting into." Quinn laughed.

"She is. Totally worth it." There was a wistful note in Brittany's voice that Quinn couldn't ignore. Quinn didn't really need to read her mind to know what she was thinking half the time.

"Well, she's a fireball, I'll give you that. Her and that friend of hers. What was her name? Raquel?"

Brittany raised an eyebrow. Quinn didn't have the fire that she normally would have in her voice when she talked about someone who annoyed her.

"Rachel."

"Yeah, Rachel. What's her deal?"

Brittany regarded Quinn carefully. "I dunno, I mean, she's kind of annoying, and really loud. She helps Santana on her podcast. Like her cohost or something."

"You're kidding me. That's the show that you're always borrowing my laptop to listen to?"

Brittany looked down sheepishly. "Yeah."

"Well, um, maybe next time we can listen together."

Now Brittany was downright incredulous. Something was up, and she couldn't figure out what. Why would Quinn want to listen to Santana's podcast with her? She'd never been interested in paranormal stuff before (ironically enough), and she certainly wasn't into most of the things that Brittany liked. Her look must have given her away because Quinn crossed her arms defiantly.

"What?"

"What?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I dunno, I just think it's a bit weird. You wanting to listen to the show."

"What? I can't take interest in new things?"

"Well, sure you can-"

"Then just relax already!"

Brittany laughed and put her arms around Quinn, pulling her close. "I'm sorry, Q. Of course you can. In fact, you can get a first hand view of them together."

Quinn melted a little into Brittany's touch, but pulled back at her suggestion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I went over there for dinner tonight, and I kind of screwed up. Well, a bit. Anyway, I want to make it right. Santana's friends and family matter a lot to her, and I know that Rachel does as well, no matter how annoying she is. I'm going to invite the two of them to dinner at the nicest restaurant I can get a reservation to, and you can come along. It'll be like a double date!"

Quinn opened and closed her mouth a few times before turning bright red, a stark contrast to the pale of her usual complexion.

"I-I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Well, cause. Because."

Brittany rubbed her hand up and down Quinn's back, muttering soothingly, but Quinn resisted.

"I'm serious, Britt! The last time I talked to her we almost got in a fight. She probably thinks I'm a lunatic."

"Trust me, Q. If anybody is used to people being weird, it's Rachel."

"But-"

"No buts. I need your back up on this one. You're not going to let me down, are you?"

Quinn hung her head slightly. "No, of course not, Britt."

"Great! Then it's a date!" Brittany smiled brightly and bounced a bit on her toes. "I'll call Santana and set it up."

"O-okay." Quinn mumbled.

Brittany kissed her lightly on the forehead, enveloped her in a big hug, and turned back towards the stairs.

"Love you, Quinnie!"

"I love you too, Britt."

With a small wave, Brittany bounded down the steps. Quinn stood for a few moments more, hand to her neck, trying to breathe slowly until the red faded from her cheeks.


	9. The Thing About Downtime

_So, this is a bit of a slow chapter. It's setting up some of the stuff to come, but bear with me, cause everything happens for a reason. Chekov's Gun and all that. #obvious #an #isobvious Anyway, thanks for reviewing and reading! Your words really mean a lot to me. :)_

* * *

A few days later, Brittany wanted to surprise Santana, so she came over right after breakfast (skillfully avoiding both Sam and Mercedes), and brought with her Santana's favorite bagels from the bakery down the street. Afterwards they laid on the couch, sprawled across each other, watching Sesame Street, and arguing over whether or not the Count was a real vampire.

"I'm telling you, San-"

"And I'm telling you, Britt, he's way too friendly with those kids. If I was living on Sesame Street, none of them would have made it out with all their jugulars intact." She laughed evilly.

Brittany had her head in Santana's lap, but also, her arms wrapped around Santana's waist and giggled, nuzzling her head further.

"Britt?"

"Yeah, Santana?"

"Do you?"

Brittany turned her head slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I what?"

"Have you ever… I mean… Would you.. I mean…"

Brittany sat up and crossed her legs. She reached her hands out and grabbed Santana's, looking her carefully in the eye.

"You want to ask if I've had human blood before. If I've fed on a human?"

Santana nodded.

"Well, yeah, sure I have."

Santana tried her best not to look shocked, but failed miserably. "What was it like?"

"Well, it wasn't bad. It was strange. You've got to understand a few things about the way we survive."

"O-okay."

"Firstly, we can go a long time without eating. Months, in fact. It's not like we need to feed everyday, but feeding is important. It ramps up our abilities, makes us more able to heal ourselves if we're injured, and makes us generally more agreeable."

"It's that important, huh?"

"Well, yes and no. We need it to survive, but we can live without it. For a short time at least. But feeding comes at a price."

Santana grimaced, urging her to continue.

"Well, it's like this. Basically, whenever we feed on a human being, it causes us to go a sort of haywire. We, well, we sort of _absorb_ that person a little bit, even if we don't drain them dry. Our thoughts become their thoughts and vice versa. Our memories, theirs. Stuff like that. It can be an intense experience."

"It sounds incredible."

"Oh, it can be! Sue has a really amazing collection of blood from all over. She uses this strange concoction to keep it fresh. Blood from various points in history. Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc. The list goes on and on."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, you drink even a small sip, and you're in that person's head. You're privy to all their thoughts and memories. Their skills. It's amazing!"

"Wow." Santana had a wistful look in her eye. "That is pretty cool. Have you tried it?"

Brittany looked a little embarrassed. "Once or twice, a long time ago. But then I got on Sue's bad side, and I learned I could live without it. I've already got enough stuff going on in my own head, you know?"

Santana smiled, leaning her forehead against Brittany's. "Yeah, I know."

"So, I haven't done it in years. Decades, probably. Just like I haven't had human blood in a long time."

Santana looked shocked once again.

"You haven't?"

"Nope. I haven't bothered. We don't have to drain a person dry, but except for having Quinn rummaging around there occasionally, I've gotten used to my voice being the only one I hear in my head. Plus, I try not to hurt people unless I absolutely have to."

"So, how do you, you know, survive?"

"Animal blood. It's just as good, though there is a small side effect."

Santana nudged Brittany with her shoulder. "What is it?"

Brittany groaned, and buried her face in her hands.

"Tell me." Santana whined. "C'mon, please."

Brittany peeked at Santana through the spaces in her fingers.

"You promise not to laugh?"

Santana held up her right hand. "Cross my heart."

"So, um, how can I put this delicately. Um, basically after feeding on animals, we get, some stomach issues."

"Like an upset stomach?"

"Like, um, farting. Really, really bad farts."

Santana slapped a hand over her mouth, covering the fit of giggles before they fully erupted.

"Hey! You promised not to laugh!"

Brittany smiled, in spite of herself, and lunged for Santana, tickling her across her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Britt, but that's just so gross!" Santana managed to choke out between full on belly laughter and gasps. "I can't believe it. I can't even imagine you farting, you're just the prettiest princess. Well, when you're not gorging yourself on pancakes."

Brittany didn't let up, tickling Santana across her stomach, under her arms, and behind her knees in a secret spot that she had been told about in confidence.

"Briiiiittttt…" Santana whined, between giggles.

Brittany relented, and just wrapped her arms around Santana, pinning her to the couch beneath her. Santana wasn't complaining, but put her own arms around Brittany, and kissed her cheek.

"You're still my prettiest princess even when you're farting."

Brittany sighed. Her smile faltering just a bit after their excitement.

"What's wrong, babe?" Santana asked, using her free hand to brush a few blonde locks out of Brittany's face.

"It's just that all this talk of blood has got me thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Sue brought the relic back. She says she needs one more thing before she can start the ceremony. And before you ask, I still have no idea what the ceremony is supposed to accomplish, other than making us 'whole', whatever that means. I don't know if I even trust her."

The question forming on Santana's lips died, and she moved her hand to Brittany's back, where she stroked up and down.

"She said we need the 'blood of an elder' to activate it. She said she brought it to the city. But now it's missing, and she doesn't know where. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing that one would just leave lying around, does it?"

"Honestly, Britt, I don't even know what the 'blood of an elder' could be."

"That's the thing! I don't know either. Nobody does. We just know that we're expected to find it, so Sue can activate the relic. This whole thing stinks, Santana."

"Yeah." Santana continued her soothing motions on Brittany's back. "It sounds awful. I can't even imagine."

"And now Quinn is having to clean up after me again. I've got to find this blood before anyone else. Maybe I can piece this whole thing together."

"Aw, I'm sure Quinn doesn't think of it that way. Honestly, what happened at Will's was just a freak show."

"Well, Sue certainly thinks that which makes me the head freak."

"So what? You're my freak."

"I am, huh?"

Brittany got that cloudy look in her eyes, and leaned forward, covering more of Santana's body with her own. Santana's breath hitched in her throat. Brittany's lips ghosted over her neck, and she rolled her body upward for more contact. Brittany responded back, her hips pressing downward into Santana's. The movement caused Santana to gasp, and she lifted her chin. She moaned at the feel of Brittany's lips on her skin.

Just a touch from the other woman made her tingle in so many ways. She felt almost drunk on it. She knew Brittany felt the same way. If her moans were any indication.

Brittany's hand snaked under her shirt, and smoothed over her stomach, and she moved a knee in between Santana's. Santana gave a soft sigh and reached her hands behind Brittany's head, pulling at her shirt until Brittany got the hint, and shrugged it off.

Santana stared.

"Oh my god, your boobs are amazing."

She reached up and cupped Brittany's breasts, squeezing firmly and earning Santana a strangled moan in response.

"Oh Santana." Brittany shivered.

Santana stopped, looking up at Brittany with innocent eyes.

"Yes, Britt?" She smiled, devilishly.

Santana looked up at Brittany, panting shallow breaths and gave her as cross a look as she can muster. Instead of answering, Brittany flopped down on Santana, and pressed her lips back against her neck, nipping lightly on her way down.

"Shut up, San." Brittany mumbled into her neck.

The feeling made Santana shudder again. "Yes, ma'am."

A few hours later, they still lay on the couch. Still wrapped around each other, but with decidedly less clothes. Brittany had slid her boy shorts back on, and Santana was tangled up in a blanket. They were watching a rerun of Jeopardy, and Santana was getting spanked.

Not literally. Well, not anymore.

"What is the English Channel?!"

"Wrong, Santana, the Rhine might squiggle through that part of Europe but it actually starts at the North Sea."

"What is the North Sea?"

Santana frowned, flopping an arm across Brittany's chest.

"It's not fair if you were there when it was formed."

Brittany laughed. "I wasn't born that long ago. I mean, around 1785, which _I guess_ is long for you, but for a vampire-"

"Still! I call shenanigans!"

"Fine, fine. I won't answer any more. You can take a guess if you want."

Brittany put on her best fake pout, and Santana had to only take one look before she melted, scooting up Brittany's body and placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry, babe. Of course I want to hear your answers. And, you're not that old. Not even old at all. You don't look a day over 200."

Santana stuck her tongue out at Brittany, which caused Brittany to turn and tackle her. Leading to a tickle fight, which led to a make out session. They forgot about the show, and finding much more interest in each other.

Santana squirmed off of Brittany.

"I've gotta pee. I'll be back."

She hopped off the couch, and down the hall, leaving Brittany to her own devices. Brittany, who was seriously trying to distract herself from listening to Santana pee least she be a huge pervert, walked to the kitchen counter, and fiddled with the random odds and ends that had been left there over the past weeks. Her fingers found a box of paperclips, and she was struck with the memory of Santana holding the box, and practically threatening her with it one of the last times she'd been at the apartment. She gripped the box carefully.

" I think you've probably seen every episode of Jeopardy anyway, so if they've repeated the question, you're probably the only person in existence who'd know it-"

Santana stopped, eyeing Brittany and the box she still clutched in her hand.

"What are you doing with that, Britt?"

"I want to try something."

Without another word, Brittany opened the box, spilling the paper clips all over the floor. The moment they hit the carpet, a loud buzzing sounded in her ears. It was the same kind of sound that went through her head whenever she felt her compulsion. When she had been focusing on some faraway object for too long, or listening beyond a doorway non stop. It was the sound that clouded her thoughts and made her eyes muddy after she'd eaten any garlic. The same buzzing that came in waves, harder and louder until she couldn't take it anymore, and went to feed. It was so loud in her head, she could almost feel her teeth rattle. She tried to keep her eyes on Santana, but they were dragged to the floor, and all she could see was the pile of scattered paperclips. The tiny items taunted her. They would take about 330 seconds to pick up, and that's if she counted them all. Brittany leaned slightly to bend over when Santana took a small step forward.

"Brittany?"

Like before in the hidden room under the basement, like behind the diner after they'd landed, Santana's voice cut through the buzzing like nothing ever had before. The concern that laid hidden beneath her words was almost palpable. Brittany was able to drag her eyes away.

"Brittany, what are you trying to do?"

Santana took another step forward, reaching out a hand to Brittany.

"You were right that night, you know."

"Right about what?"

"If you'd thrown this box down, I would have had to stay, I would have had to count them. It's my other weakness. It's like I have to do it. It's like I don't have a choice."

"Then why would you-?" Santana had carefully placed Brittany's hand in her own, and was now rubbing the back of Brittany's hand with her thumb.

"Because of _you_ , Santana. Since I met you, I'm able to do something I've never been able to do before."

Brittany's eyes darted back and forth between the pile at her feet, and Santana's eyes. With each passing, she was able to hold Santana's gaze a moment or two longer. After a few seconds, she was keeping eye contact with Santana, with only a stray gaze back to the floor.

"What's that, Brittany?"

Brittany waited a moment, before pulling Santana close and wrapping her up in her arms.

"Ignore it."

Santana laughed. "I'm glad I have that effect on you."

"I've heard of vampires doing it before, but it was always through self study, and decades of meditation. I've never heard of a human doing it for you before." Brittany's voice was still serious.

Santana looked up, meeting Brittany's eyes with her own. She was speechless. She felt like Brittany was telling her something very important. The moment wasn't lost on her. But she slowly gathered the words to respond.

"Brittany, I-"

"Hey Santana, you're not still asleep, are you? I brought your favorite-"

Sam burst through the door, arms laden with bags. With a shout, he dropped all but one, bringing his hands over his eyes.

"Will you two put on some clothes, please? This isn't some all you can look peep show!"

Brittany laughed, and chuckled more when she saw the embarrassed look on Santana's face as she dragged them both to her bedroom. She put the shirt that Santana tossed at her without much fuss, though it was about four inches too short, and left her stomach exposed. She laughed again, and walked up behind Santana who was leaned over her dresser, grumbling and shuffling trying to find a suitable pair of pants.

"That's not good." Brittany said, bending over to kiss the back of Santana's neck.

"Yeah, not great. I'm not going to hear the end of it tonight when Mercedes gets word of it."

Santana sighed and stood up, leaning back into Brittany's arms.

"I just want everything to go smoothly with them, you know? And they'd like you so much, Britt, they did. Well, they do! It's just complicated, you know."

Santana trailed off, and let her head fall beside Brittany's.

"It's okay, Santana. They'll come around. they just need time. They did like me, I know. It's okay."

"Yeah." she didn't sound convinced.

"C'mon. Sam went back out, probably to the bodega down the street. I'm going to go pick up those paper clips and you can watch me."

Santana nodded softly, not questioning how Brittany knew all that. She watched as Brittany crouched over the pile and quickly gathered them, mumbling numbers under her breath.

"Do you have to count them?" She asked, leaned over to get a closer look.

"Yeah, it's kind of part of the whole thing. Hon, can you back up a little, I can't concentrate on this, and keep an ear out for Sam with you so close."

"I'm sorry that I threatened you with dropping it before, Britt. That was wrong and manipulative of me. I shouldn't even have said I'd do something like that."

She ran her fingers through her hair as Brittany finished picking up the last of the paper clips, and laid the full box on the counter. Then sighed as Brittany took her back in her arms.

"Santana, you didn't go through with it. And I trust you. I know you wouldn't have. It's okay."

She rubbed Santana's back and pulled her tighter. She took a deep breath and spoke quickly before she changed her mind.

"I want us to go to dinner."

"O-okay, Britt." Santana balked at the sudden change of subject. "When? I have meetings tonight, but maybe tomorrow-"

Brittany spun Santana around effortlessly, and took both of her hands.

"No, I mean, like a proper date. Next Monday. And I want you to bring Rachel."

"Rachel? Why would I want to do that?"

"I want to make a good impression, and I'm bringing Quinn because she can talk me down when I'm getting weird, and I mainly just want to get to know Rachel."

"That's sweet, Brittany, but why would you even want to get to know Rachel? Trust me. I know her. You're not missing out on much."

"She's important to you, San. Even if you don't want to admit it." She shushed Santana's protests. "And while I'm worming my way back into Mercedes' and Sam's good graces, I want to get a head start on Rachel. Plus, you haven't spent any time with Quinn, and she's important to me, so I'd like you to get to know her."

She gave her best pout to Santana, biting a smile when she caved almost immediately.

"Okay."

"Now, I'm going to find my pants, and let you get ready for tonight's show."

"Aw." Santana took the chance and hopped on Brittany's back while she was shuffling around, searching for her pants. "So soon?"

Brittany hoisted her higher, causing Santana to giggle. "I'm afraid so, my love. Sue's got us running around for this blood, and I want to be back in plenty of time to hear the show. It's live tonight, no?"

Though Brittany could hear Santana tense up slightly at the liberal use of the "L word", she continued moving around the living room, stopping every few moments to bend down and shift some piece of clothing.

"Um, yeah, it's live. We're taking calls. It's usually wild." She cleared her throat nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I've listened to a few of them. They sound great, I can't wait to hear it."

She plopped Santana down on the ground, and then bent to pull her pants over her feet, and up her hips. She slipped on bright yellow Converse, and a loose fitting jacket (keeping on the tank top that Santana loaned her earlier).

"Remember, don't forget to ask Rachel." She killed Santana full on the lips.

It started as an innocent peck, but as Santana's tongue darted out, and slid across Brittany's bottom lip, she forgot that she was supposed to be leaving, and gathered Santana up in her arms.

Minutes later, Santana thoroughly kissed, Brittany gave her a wink, and opened the door.

"Monday night."

Santana nodded dumbly, and leaned against the door frame.

"Monday."

"See you later, Santana."

"See you, Brittany."

Brittany reveled in the sound of Santana's racing heartbeat as she made her way down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the front door.

\

"And if you think this is the first time that lizards have gotten cheeky with the President, you'd better think again. The signs are all there."

"Frank, Frank, I'm going to have to cut you off there, you're making some really fascinating points, though, and I'm sure the listeners would love to hear about them-"

"Berry, Frank would be making a good point if he were on Mars, but unfortunately, he's on Earth, and those rules don't apply here."

"Santana!"

"I can tell you for a fact, Frank, a fact, that any experiments that were started by Project Blue Book were disbanded by 1958, and _furthermore-"_

Santana ignored the look on Rachel's face.

" _Furthermore_ , and Elliot Scott talks about this in his book _Lizard People and the Quest for the One Truth_ , that if there hadn't been a lizard person sitting as Commander-in-Chief in 1965 the Civil Rights Act would have never been passed, and you can take that to the bank."

Jane piped up from her place at the broadcast table. "User BBBeliever is supporting that point of view. He's posted a full page transcript of a secret recording of Lyndon B. Johnson, and his lizard captain."

"And that really just goes to show you that the lizard people aren't, as too many of you like to think, backwards troglodytes. Any civilization that is advanced enough to conquer space travel has gone past our petty need for division within ourselves. They are above that. Beyond it. You can count on that, trust me."

"I've posted a poll, and almost 75.7% of our listening audience agree with you." Jane said, holding up a graph on her tablet.

"But, of course, here on SLINN, there's always room for debate. What do you think, listeners? Was Frank onto something, or was he full of hot air? You're joining us for our late night live call in show, where no topic is off limits, and we depend on input directly from you, the listener. What's been keeping you up at night? Ghosts, werewolves, aliens? We'll cover it all, but first a word from our faithful sponsors. "

Santana gestured to Artie, who nodded, and gave her a thumbs up. She slid the headphones off her ears, and took a sip of coffee.

"We're back in five." Artie said, leaning over his computer.

"Great. Jane, get some more of those comments, and we'll read them right on the air. Mostly people who agree with me, but sprinkle in a few that agree with Frank, just to make it seem the least bit balanced."

Jane nodded, and hunched down over her computer keyboard.

"I don't see why you had to be so mean to poor Frank, Santana. He was just voicing his opinion. It's our god given right to do that, you know, it's in the Constitution. I think it was Ben Franklin who said-"

"Well, if you must know, dwarf, his opinion is wrong. And I don't care if he gets his feelings hurt or not. Here on SLINN we deal in facts. Even when most of those facts are made up on the spot."

Rachel rolled her eyes, and brought one cup of her headphones to her ear.

Santana's phone buzzed.

 _Live shows are exciting!_

She smiled. She knew that Brittany would make good on her threat of listening in on the show tonight.. In fact, Brittany had become almost a rabid fan SLINN. She bought an executive pass, and had been listening to archived episodes for the past few weeks.

It had been almost three since Santana had found out about Brittany's 'true nature', and though it had taken a little while for things to get back to normal (if they'd even been normal in the first place), Santana finally felt some semblance of familiarity in their relationship. She had never felt afraid, or worried, but just generally out of sorts. But now they spent time together, and laughed, and Brittany even seemed ready to come back over for another dinner (sans garlic, of course). But Mercedes still wasn't sure what to make of the whole thing, and Santana didn't know how much to tell her. Her sister was very protective, after all, and Santana wasn't quite sure how to bring up the whole, 'my girlfriend is a vampire' conversation. Though, she guessed they weren't technically girlfriends. Though they were dating. Maybe. All very confusing.

Santana typed out a quick response.

 _If by exciting, you mean shit show, I agree. But what can I say?. I'm very proud. :P_

"I'm sending you about 15 quotes now, Santana. They're all ranked by the number of upvotes, and also an interesting illustration that might be interesting to the listeners. You can tweet it out with a link to the original post."

Santana scrolled through a screen on her laptop.

"Yeah, that's perfect Jane, send it out. I'll read through the comments, and pick a handful. CC Berry so we can get her take, though she's probably wrong."

Rachel opened her mouth, but thought better of it, taking a sip of her herbal tea instead. As Santana was reading through an interesting comment about how lizard people might have been persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition, her phone vibrated again.

 _You should be proud. I'm proud, too. I always feel very_ interesting _things when I hear your voice, San._

Santana bit her lip with a smile.

 _Oh?_

 _Yep, I'll tell you all about it later._

 _I can't wait._

Santana shivered. She was thinking about the last time Brittany had made a promise to show her something later. It had been well worth the wait. It was being reminded of that time, lounging on Santana's couch easier that day, a romantic afterglow still coloring her cheeks, that reminded Santana of something else.

"Two minutes until we're back." Said Artie.

"Hey, um, Rachel. I need to ask you something."

The room's other three occupants looked at Santana with wide eyes. Perhaps she should haven't laid it on so thick with the insults earlier.

"What?" Santana said, sharply.

Jane was the first to speak up. "Well, uh, I don't think that I've ever heard you call her Rachel before."

Santana laughed a little too loudly. "Of course I have, Jane, don't be ridiculous."

Jane shrugged, but like Artie and Rachel, didn't look away from Santana.

"Anyway, if you three weirdos would stop being weird for a second…" She let her voice trail off.

With that, Jane went back to looking at her computer, and Artie adjusted some knobs on his mixing board.

Rachel crossed her hands in her lap, and the combination of her perfect posture, and the smug look on her face when she knew that Santana was about to ask her for a favor made Santana want to throw up. She barrelled ahead regardless.

"So, do you remember Brittany's friend, Quinn?"

Rachel seemed to think for a second, but Santana knew that she remembered Quinn. She was pretty sure that Rachel remembered every person she'd ever met. She had this weird thing about how a person might never know where the next opportunity to get discovered might come from, so it paid to make all possible connections, as quickly as one could.

It was more likely that Rachel wanted to get more information out of her before she'd agree to anything. Santana would have told her to go to hell, but Brittany had this idea in her head and it all hinged on Santana playing nice, so she couldn't very well mess this up.

"Anyway, Brittany wants to spend time with you, because she knows that we're friends, or whatever, so she wanted to invite you to dinner with us, and she's bringing along Quinn because Quinn is basically her best friends or whatever, and she wants our best friends to get along, I guess, and she asked me to ask you to come along."

The sentence came out in one breath, almost without punctuation. Santana had to keep herself from burying her face in her hands afterwards.

Rachel seemed to think a moment more. "Oh Quinn! Of course, I remember her after our interesting little _altercation_ at Will's place."

"Yeah." Santana said, tonelessly. "That's her."

"Thirty seconds, ladies."

"Well, isn't that nice of Brittany and her friend to extend such a _lovely_ invitation. Very polite Santana, and you could certainly learn a thing or two from these ladies who are obviously so thoughtful about the feelings of others. And while we're at it-"

"Can it, hobbit, we don't have all day while you wax poetical about how manners are a 'long standing tradition that have been cast aside in our harried modern cultural landscape'."

"Well, I still think that's true, and if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times-"

"Fifteen seconds."

Rachel glared at Artie.

"Look, Rachel, are you going or not?"

Rachel seemed to take another moment mulling it over. "Lucky for you, I really like Brittany. I'll go."

"Thank god. Don't screw this up for me, Berry."

The self satisfied look on Rachel's face didn't let up, as she adjusted her headphones. She gave Santana a thumbs up.

Santana gave her a scowl in return, rolling her eyes for good measure.

"And we're back with the live, call in episode of _Santana Lopez is Not Normal_. I'm Santana Lopez. We've got Artie in the booth, taking your calls and keeping us on the air, Jane is here making sure that all you nerds mind your Ps and Qs on the message boards, and that ever present thorn in my side, Rachel Berry. Queen of being more annoying than you at everything."

"Hi, everyone! Welcome back. We were talking about lizard people. Have they reached the upper echelons of our government? Are they creating help or havoc? Jane as scoured the message boards, and here are some overriding opinions..."

\

With another episode in the bag, Santana, Rachel Artie and Jane talked for a few moments about the next day's show, and began to pack up their things. Asking Berry to go out with them had been annoying as hell, during every break she was practically peeing, she was gloating so much, but Santana was convinced it was a good idea. In fact, Brittany had convinced her. Her eyes had done most of the heavy lifting. Well, not just her eyes. Her lips. Her hands, also were very convincing.

While Jane and Artie discussed some of the logistics of upcoming shows, Rachel sidled up to Santana, grinning like an idiot.

"So, Santana. When will our little excursion be taking place?"

"Oh my god, Berry, you're really making me regret letting Brittany talk me into letting you go."

"Fine." She huffed. "But, I just want to know what I'm getting into."

"Nothing. It's dinner, and we're going to go there and act like we're normal people, and then we're going to go home."

"Have you figured the whole Samcedes trusting Brittany situation, yet?"

"No. Sam is fine I guess, but Mercedes is still a little wary. You know how she is."

"Well, if I didn't trust you implicitly, Santana, I might be a little worried that you were dating an actual vampire."

Santana put her hands up to shush Rachel. "Geez, Troll, just tell everybody, why don't you?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was under wraps! Jane's certainly got to have an idea after what happened at Will's, and Artie was there too, even though he wasn't quite able to see everything."

"Not the point. I just mean, let's not use the v-word if we can avoid it. You don't get it, Rachel, there's a lot of bad stuff going on, and I don't want Brittany to get hurt."

Rachel's face grew more serious. "Of course, Santana, I understand. I won't mention it again."

Santana nodded gratefully, and finished putting her laptop into her bag.

"But, Santana, if you don't mind me asking. What's going on? What bad stuff are you so afraid of?"

Santana sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "If you must know, Berry, the relic that they found wasn't enough for their leader, Sue's ceremony. They need some sort of elder's blood to activate it. I don't know what it means, and Brittany doesn't either, but whatever is happening won't settle down until it's found. And once it's found Sue can use it. And no one knows yet what will happen because of that."

"Does Brittany seem to be worried at all?"

"Well, no, not exactly-"

"Then, I don't think you should worry either. She's got way more experience than you do with everything having to do with vampires, and if she's fine, then that's probably a good sign."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Rachel awkwardly patted Santana's shoulder, before the devilish grin returned to her face.

"Now, I'm wondering what I should wear. I have a perfectly quaint, mauve carousel pony sweater that will really be the perfect accent to anything from my fall collection…"

"I swear to god, Rachel, if you wear anything that makes you look like a British toddler, I will murder you and they will never find the body."

Rachel chuckled. "Fair enough, but I still have plenty of ideas."

"Oh, and I get final veto decision of all of your outfits."

"Now, Santana-"

"Not negotiable."

She strapped on her messenger bag in a huff, and storming out, waved to Artie and Jane.

In fact, it was Santana who needed three outfit changes before she was ready to go. Rachel had arrived at her apartment an hour or so before, because she wanted to, in her words, "get a full picture into what she'd signed herself up for." Now Rachel was lying across Santana's bed, watching attentively as she stressed out in front of her closet mirror. Santana had to give it to her. Rachel looked downright cute. She was wearing a body hugging mini dress, but with warm looking leggings underneath, and fur lined boots. The whole ensemble made Santana feel over dressed, and then underdressed, and then over dressed when she changed outfits again.

"Santana, I doubt this is worth all of this stress. It's simply Brittany. I happen to know for a fact that you've eaten dinner together before, and you've met Quinn so-"

"Obviously, we've eaten dinner together before. But this is the first time I've really had to sit down and talk to Quinn. What if she hates me? What if I hate her? What if we end up hating each other? What if I say something ridiculous and she laughs at me, and I go all Lima Heights on her ass, and she ends up inevitably kicking my ass and then Brittany has to pull her off of me? I can't deal with this."

Santana pulled another top out of the drawer before considering it closely and finally discarding it. Rachel walked up to where she stood in the middle of her room, gently closing the drawer, and holding up the dress that Santana had originally been wearing.

"I don't know what will happen, Santana. But I do happen to know that the more you worry about trivial matters such as these, the less likely you will be to react in a positive way if things do go a little sour. Furthermore, you can't do anything about it at the moment, because it's only a few minutes until they're due to arrive, and you're still not dressed."

Santana looked quickly at the clock before cursing, snatching the dress from Rachel's hands and shimmying it down her hips. She smoothed the sides, and looked at herself in the mirror.

"What do you think?"

"I think you look like a million bucks."

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"She'll love it. You're going to knock her dead."

Santana regarded her reflection a few moments more, and then eyed Rachel.

"What?" Rachel said, accusingly.

"I-I just…"

Santana trailed off, and turned towards Rachel, fussing with the hem of her dress.

"You know that I, well." She paused. "Thanks, Rachel."

There were a lot of things Santana wanted to say in just those few words. She was reminded of dark nights, and dark days back at home in Ohio. Mercedes was there for her, and Sam too, but Rachel was the person who rounded out her little family. And as annoying as Rachel could be sometimes, she knew that she would always look out for her. Just like Santana would do the same.

Rachel walked over, and placed a gentle hand on Santana's arm. "I love you too, Santana."

Santana waited a beat before shaking the arm off with a shrug.

"I didn't say all that, Hobbit."

"You didn't have to."

Rachel's smile lingered for a moment longer but her eyes grew wide as they both heard the knock at the door.

"Shit! Stall them, Berry, I haven't even curled my hair yet."

Santana shoved Rachel out of the bedroom door, closing it, and turning back towards the mess of her bedroom. She plugged in her curling iron and waited patiently for it to heat up. She didn't know why she was so nervous. The first time she had met Quinn, she hadn't thought twice about lobbing insults at her, and generally being a nuisance. And now she wasn't even sure if she'd be able to sit in the same room as Quinn without acting like a complete spaz.

Crossing to her door, she heard the three women chatting in the front room. Even from behind the door she could make out Brittany's voice, lilting pleasantly, as her laughter faded in and out. Santana sighed, leaning her head against the door. She had seen Brittany only a couple of days before, and had been texting almost constantly when they weren't together. Sometimes it was something simple like a cool rock Brittany had seen, or Santana complaining about all the ways Blaine had annoyed her that day, but she still missed Brittany when they were apart. It was like an ache in her chest that never properly went away.

"You've got it bad, Lopez." She said to herself, walking back over to her vanity, and sitting down. She picked up the curling iron and quickly went to work, setting the curls in her hair.

It wasn't just her nervousness about Quinn, or Brittany's worry about Mercedes and Sam. There were a lot of things about their relationship, if one could call it that, that was confusing for Santana. She tried not to think about it, but their worlds were very different. Even though Santana had spent most of her time recently steeped in the paranormal, and Brittany was **actually** paranormal there was a lot she didn't understand. And the more she thought about it, the more worried she became, and the more she fretted about what was happening between the two of them.

She shook her curls out and let them bounce around her shoulders. She wasn't supposed to be thinking of all that tonight, she was supposed to be having a good time, enjoying herself, and taking bets on who would jump over the table and try to strangle each other first, Rachel or Quinn.

Anyway, she knew that she like Brittany, and Brittany liked her. She had told her fears to Brittany, who had, in her usual fashion, listened with a concerned look on her face, and then insisted that they would figure it out some how. Santana wished she had Brittany's certainty.

She was applying some mascara, and curling her eyelashes when she heard the door open behind her.

"Berry, you've got to stay out there and keep them entertained until I come out-"

One look behind her in the mirror told her it wasn't Rachel coming into her room. She started, and was careful to put the curler down before she ripped all her eyelashes out.

"Brittany!" Santana stood up, spinning around, and rushing across the room, stopping just short of where Brittany stood leaned up against her closed bedroom door.

Brittany stood for a moment, hands behind her back, pushed up against the door, looking Santana up and down.

"Well, what do you think?" Santana said, twirling a bit, and shaking her curls so Brittany could take her in fully.

Brittany swallowed a few times, and when she finally spoke her voice was thick with emotion.

"You look amazing, babe."

Santana hadn't realized the effect she might have on Brittany. She closed the distance between them, and put her hands on the sides of Santana's hips.

"What's wrong, Britt?"

Brittany carefully cupped Santana's cheeks, placing a kiss on each of them, and then on her eyes and forehead.

"Nothing at all is wrong. You just look so great. I appreciate you putting in so much effort for my friend."

"Well, I know how much it means to you, I mean, she's Quinn. You talk about her all the time."

Brittany chuckled, clearing her throat. "Yeah, well, still. If I didn't know you only had eyes for me, I'd be totally jealous right now."

"Oh, would you?"

Santana pressed her breasts (which were being held up perfectly by her favorite bra), into Brittany, delighting at the gasp she heard from the other woman. Brittany couldn't reply, but just let out a strangled moan that sounded like an affirmative.

Santana looked down, properly noticing Brittany's outfit for the first time. It was the first time she hadn't seen Brittany in some mismatched outfit and a beanie, that she somehow made work. Tonight's outfit was sleek and stylish, still an outrageous blue, but it hung to Brittany's body in ways that made Santana weak in the knees. Her hair was up in a loose bun, golden tendrils falling down behind her ears and around her face, brushing against her neck, begging Santana to be brushed away so she would have no obstacles to kissing there.

"You don't look too bad yourself." She breathed, ghosting her lips along Brittany's neck. For her part, Brittany raised her head, giving Santana free reign.

She ran her hands over Brittany's sides and past the bottom of her dress, cupping the back of her thighs. With a grunt, she pulled Brittany towards her, placing a scorching kiss on her lips. Their lips met with fireworks, Santana could feel Brittany in every fiber of her being.

Santana pulled away abruptly with an evil grin. "Well, I'm still not completely ready, so I'll need a few more minutes. And now I need to reapply my lipstick."

"Aw, San." Brittany whined, pushing away from the door, and following behind Santana.

"No buts. Just a bit longer."

"Well, you already look good enough to eat." Brittany smiled, her face at Santana's shoulder.

Santana looked back at her from the mirror on the vanity she'd sat herself back down in front of.

"Very funny."

Brittany waggled her eyebrows.

Santana smirked, picked up her lipstick, and pursed her lips at herself in the mirror.

"How's it going out there with those two?"

Brittany stood at Santana's shoulder and watched her carefully apply her makeup.

"They're being surprisingly civil. I don't know how I thought it would go down, but at least they aren't yelling at each other."

Santana laughed. "Well, yeah, Rachel can be on her best behavior every once in a while. So, she's not talking Quinn's ear off?"

"Well, yeah, she is, but Quinn doesn't seem to mind. She actually looks like she's paying attention."

"Really?" Santana quirked an eyebrow.

"Yep. It's pretty weird, and this is coming from a person who likes talking to Rachel."

"Yeah, I never got your need to be nice to her."

"She's actually a nice person, San. And she loves you, and that's all I need to know."

Santana scoffed. "Nice? I think you might have her confused with someone else."

She smacked her lips a few times and watched lovingly as Brittany cocked her head to the side.

"It's sounds like they've stopped talking. I wonder what that's about."

Santana stared at her for another moment. Brittany had probably never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment, listening to something that Santana herself would never be able to hear. She smiled.

Brittany stopped, her eyes going wide.

"It sounds like-"

"Britt, Mercedes took Sam to some boring work party tonight and they're going to stay at some hotel and get their freak on probably. It's gross but it means that the house will be empty tonight."

Brittany's eyes zeroed back in on Santana, a small half smile lifting her lips.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. So, why don't we dump the losers and hang out here all night?"

Brittany placed a hand on Santana's arm.

"That sounds amazing, babe, but we said we were going to do this. I think our friends being friends is a worthy project."

Santana raised an eyebrow and turned to follow Brittany out the room.

"But when we dump then after the date, I'm going to have you all to myself."

Brittany purred, nibbling her ear. Santana shivered

"Uh huh." It was all Santana could muster.

"Now, let's get back out there before those two eat each other."

Santana didn't have time to respond before Brittany opened her bedroom door, and strode purposefully out of it.

"We're ready." Brittany announced loudly.

Rounding the corner to the living room, Santana saw Quinn standing beside Rachel who was sitting on the couch. Their eyes both wide in surprise.

"What are you looking so guilty for, Berry? I didn't expect you to play the host all evening. It's okay if you and Quinn ran out of stuff to talk about."

Brittany chuckled. "I dunno if that was the problem, babe-"

"Santana." Quinn interrupted, bowing her head slightly.

"Quinn." Santana returned stiffly.

"Well, now that greetings have been made, might I suggest we head out? Our reservation is at six, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, of course, let's go." Brittany said, helping Santana into her coat.

Santana let Brittany take her hand, and lead her down the stairs, Rachel and Quinn on their heels.

"I got us a car for the evening."

"You didn't have to do that, Britt, but I'm glad you did, cause these heels were not made for walking."

Santana smiled, stepping back as a long, black town car pulled up the curb, and Brittany opened the door opened for her. She ducked in, and sat on the row behind the driver, frowning a bit when Rachel sat next to her.

"Rachel, there's plenty of room on _the other side_." She said, nodding towards the row opposite her.

"I know that, Santana. I just thought that Quinn might appreciate sitting next to her friend, and we can much more easily make conversation with these two fascinating ladies if we're sitting across from them. Besides that, we already know each other, Santana, why would be facing each other for the entire car ride-"

"I get it, I get it. Fine." She shook her head, but smiled when Brittany slid in across from her, raising an eyebrow at her girlfriend.

"Comfortable?" Brittany smirked.

"Very."


	10. The Thing About the Opera

_Thanks for reading!_

* * *

If Brittany had to use one word to describe their time at the restaurant, it would have been awkward. Not that she embarrasses easily or anything, and she'd planned on enjoying her time with Santana and letting Quinn and Rachel talk amongst themselves, but neither one of them seemed to be able to get through a sentence without stumbling half way through and then clamming up.

She wasn't quite sure what she'd heard from Santana's bedroom (though she had a fair idea), but the whole situation was odd. The few moments she'd had to give Quinn significant looks were wasted because Quinn refused to look at her. It would have been adorable if it weren't so obvious.

Santana seemed to notice the shift in the room, and between playing footsie with Brittany and glaring at Rachel, she made some attempts to get the conversation going. Most of these were aborted when Brittany was the only person who she could get to follow along, and that put Santana in a sour mood. Once they'd left the restaurant, if took no small measure of cajoling, enticing, seduction and threats to get Santana to agree not to end their date then and there, but to travel with the three of them to the opera.

"Well, I, for one, think it's a perfect way to cap an evening. Musical theater, as some of you may know, has always been a passion of mine and I've spent years honing my own talent. New York City being the home of some of the greatest musicals and operas in the world, it's only natural that I come here and spread my wings, so to speak."

"Bullshit, Rachel. You only moved here, because Cedes and I moved here, and you didn't want to be the only one in Lima, working at that restaurant where they do melodies from your favorite stage shows every hour."

"Well, having more friends in the city didn't hurt, obviously, but-"

"You sing, Rachel?"

Everyone looked at Quinn suddenly. She had been sitting almost silent all evening, without saying more than a handful of words to Brittany, several to Santana, and almost none to Rachel. Her voice came out in a sort of strangled cry, and she cleared her throat afterwards, folding her hands in her lap, and trying her best to look aloof, but failing miserably.

Brittany's eyes grew wide, and she smiled softly. Santana eyes also grew wide, and she made a cutting motion at her neck, which Brittany didn't exactly see as encouraging. In fact, it looked like Santana would actually rather be beheaded than hear what Rachel had to say about musical theater.

For her part, Rachel's smile widened to an almost impossible degree. Her eyes began to sparkle, and if the shift in the air was any indication, was very enthusiastic about this particular question.

"Oh, yes, Quinn. I do! I started singing when I was four…"

She launched into a story that seemed well rehearsed. Santana turned her body so that she facing Brittany as much as she could in her tight dress, and Brittany put an arm around her. Quinn looked interestedly at Rachel, nodding at all the right parts, laughing when Rachel said something that she thought was particularly clever.

The restaurant was about half an hour from the theater, but with the traffic, it looked it might be closer to forty five minutes, so she settled into Santana, content to whisper things into her ear until her face began heating up, or she laughed. Depending on how flirty Brittany was feeling.

"What are we going to see?" Santana breathed in Brittany's ear after a particularly playful bite.

Brittany drifted her fingertips over Santana's ribs, feeling them under the tight fabric of the dress. The same dress that Brittany had described being torn from her body later on that night. Santana looked absolutely delicious in the outfit, but Brittany couldn't wait to get it off of her.

"It's an opera called The Vampire."

Santana pulled back from Brittany a bit to be able to look her in the eye.

"You're kidding."

Brittany laughed. "Nope. Actually, I knew the guy who composed this one. Well, not knew, heard about. Anyway, the play is actually based on this shtick that Quinn used to do. Back when she was Quinn: Lord of the French court. She would dress up as a dude, bust out some French, and those German backwoodsmen would believe anything she said. Her face was still as pretty as it is now, but she had the pants to pull it off, so they bought it."

"What's it about?" Santana leaned back into Brittany arm.

"It's about this Vampire lord who has 24 hours to kill a bunch of virgins, or else he'll get taken by the devil. Of course in the end he gets found out, and dragged to hell."

Brittany could hear Santana let out a small gasp. "Quinn really did that?"

"Well, evidenced by the fact that she's sitting right across from us and not getting prodded by demons right now, I would say not."

Santana slapped Brittany lightly. "You know what I mean. About the virgins."

"Actually," Brittany said, laughing and nuzzling Santana's hair. "This was a number we did all over back in those days. After a few days in any town, it was easy to see those girls who had been bethrothed to some awful viscount or other wretched nobleman. Maybe some uncle who spent too much time watching them dance or always wanted to know if they'd bathed that day. "

"Gross."

"Yeah, so, Quinn would notice them, and come to them with an opportunity. She'd allow them to travel in her court for a year, and then she'd set them up with some money, and a place to stay, or let them marry whoever they chose. The only catch is that they'd never see their family again."

"She just straight up told them she was a vampire?"

"Well, no, she couldn't get away with that. She just presented herself as a woman who had the means to keep her word."

"And how many takers did she normally snag?"

"A lot, actually. Our parties were pretty rambunctious back in those days."

Santana ducked her head, and Brittany could see the traces of a frown on her face. "You slept with them?"

"Well, not all of them. Quinn slept with some of them."

Santana twiddled with the edge of Brittany's dress, and Brittany continued.

"Those girls weren't interested in me, well, most of them. They were interested in the freedom we could offer them. In the meantime, we spent some time together, but I didn't care about them. I care about you, Santana."

Santana laughed stiffly. "I'm not jealous."

Her tone was a big sharp, and Brittany couldn't help but bring Santana's hand into her own.

"It's okay if you are or you aren't. I don't need to tell you, I'll show you. I plan to stick around with you, Santana."

Santana looked at her, her eyes flickering quickly between Brittany's own eyes and her mouth. She leaned in slowly, and Brittany's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't really contain herself when Santana started looking at her like that. She braced herself for the warmth that she could already feel emanating from Santana's lips. She began to lean forward herself and-

"We're here."

Brittany and Santana jerked apart, and threw a glance across the car. Quinn was already helping Rachel out, and preparing to follow. How had Brittany not noticed when the car had stopped and the door opened? Every time she was with Santana, locked in moments like the one that had just been broken, she felt like she was completely separated from the world. All the normal distractions that usually required all of her attention to block out just fell away, and all she could see was bronzed skin, black hair, and dark eyes.

"Uh, yeah, okay."

Santana sounded disappointed, and turned to follow Quinn. Brittany followed as well, shaking herself as she stood up. She felt still a bit distracted, and wrapped her arm around Santana's in an effort to feel grounded. Whispers and mumbles skirted around the edge of her consciousness, and she waved her free hand in an attempt to brush them away.

"Are you alright, Britt?" Quinn was at her elbow, her brow furrowed in concern. They had known each other for far too long for Quinn not to notice when something was troubling her friend.

Brittany shook her head awkwardly. "I'm fine. Just feeling a little off. Let's get inside. There's too much noise out here."

Quinn nodded, and taking Rachel's arm walked quickly up the steps, and in through the front door of the opera house. The head usher nodded as they passed (this wasn't their first time coming here, and they were known to the owner). With a wave of his hand, he disengaged a velvet rope, and waved them up a set of stairs. Quinn led the way again, leading them up a gorgeous staircase, and to a box with gilded curtains, and two rows of very comfortable looking benches.

"Have a seat."

Brittany slid into the back row, and pulled Santana along with her, offering the front to Rachel and Quinn.

"You'll have the best view sitting up there, Rachel."

Rachel positively beamed and reaching for Quinn's hand, sat down, bouncing a few times in excitement.

"Why thank you, Brittany. That's very sweet of you! Quinn has been telling me about this play, and while I must admit, it sounds a bit dreadful, I also am excited to see the highest of works from the great German composers. I don't know much about Herr Marschner, but I have a feeling this will give us all the feelings reminiscent of the great resurgence of German popular opera that was all the rage only a few years ago- Oh look, a playbill!"

Brittany was glad of Rachel's distraction. She liked the other woman, she really did, but sometimes listening to everything she had to say was a bit exhausting.

She winced again. The feeling returned of someone nearby and she couldn't shake it.

Santana looked at her with a suspicious eye. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, no, just these seats. They're bugging me or something."

She didn't want to alarm Santana, and she wasn't even sure if there was anything to be alarmed about, but she kept an eye roaming the room just in case. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just folks settling into their seats, and chatting before the show. She noted the slight shift of Quinn's head. It was a silent gesture that noted her discomfort, and questioned her.

She didn't respond, which in and of itself was response enough.

There was something about the feeling in the room that gave Brittany pause. She couldn't put her finger on it, but scanned the room slowly. There wasn't anything specific out of place. She and Quinn knew it well, they came here year after year, knowing it was a safe place because the owner was also a vampire. He was of a different clan, but they had the kind of mutual camaraderie that came from hundreds of years of dealing with silly humans.

Brittany took a deep breath and leaned back, pulling Santana a bit closer.

"You know, if you're bored by the opera, I'm sure we can find plenty of ways to occupy our time." Santana whispered seductively into her ear.

Her cheeks burned, and she resisted the temptation to dip her hand a little lower along Santana's side.

"I would, but um,"

"What?" Santana said playfully. "Not interested?"

"Oh yeah, no, very interested. But, I kind of promised Quinn we would fool around on this date. Just so I wouldn't leave her in the lurch with Rachel."

Santana sighed. "Fine. But don't come crying to me later cause you missed out on all this."

She gestured to her form fitting dress, and Brittany gulped. She was going to have the patience of a saint to make it out of this evening alive. She mumbled for a few moments before catching Santana's teasing smile again.

"Cat got your tongue, Pierce?"

Brittany turned to Santana, quickly shifting her hand, so it caught low on Santana's thigh.

"Something'll have my tongue in a couple of hours. Don't worry."

Santana gulped loudly. Brittany replaced her arm on the back of the couch, and turned her attention to the stage. She could practically feel Santana's face heating up beside her, and smiled a self satisfied grin at her skill. She really knew how to rile her up. Before Santana could respond, the curtain began to rise, and Rachel sat forward in her chair to cheer loudly.

Brittany hadn't been able to miss the way that Rachel and Quinn had been sharing space all evening, at least after the disaster that had been dinner. And with Santana around distracting her, she really hadn't been able to get a bead on exactly what was going on with the two of them, but she could say she was enjoying it. She'd particularly enjoy getting all the specifics out of Quinn later, and then teasing her about her little crush. Quinn had given her such a hard time about Santana early on, and turnabout is fair play, of course.

The curtain rose on the stage, and the room darkened. Brittany had seen the play a handful of times (it was all the rage about fifty years after their first little trip to Germany, so many insufferable men had suggested it to her), and she'd actually been there for the original events, so the performance didn't hold much interest to her. However, her companion on the couch was of a great deal of interest to her, so she watched Santana intently.

She thought back to that first time seeing her in the library. She had been so worried about impressing Sue, and not letting Quinn down. Of course, those things were still in her mind. But they'd all been pushed to the side. Her thoughts were filled with Santana. Her hands were always itching to text her (though she held off most of the time because she didn't want to seem too creepy), and she found herself missing her voice, her touch, her everything. She had been telling the truth to Santana earlier. She'd been with girls before. She'd been with guys before. And some of them she really liked, and some of them she would wile away hours, weeks, months, years with… But eventually she'd have to leave. She wouldn't give up the life she had for them, and neither would she take them into her world.

Now thinking of having to do that with Santana one day left a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. They'd only known each other for a bit over a month, but that didn't stop the swirling dread that she felt over the conversation that would have to take place one day. The one where she either said goodbye to Santana or… She wasn't really sure what the other option was. Brittany sighed, brushing a wayward strand of hair off of Santana's face, and tucking it gently behind her ear. For her part, Santana was now pretty entranced by the opera. She would never have considered Santana a high culture snob, but she knew good art when she saw it, and Brittany had heard her sing enough times in the shower to know that she A) Had a dynamite voice and B) Knew way more musical numbers than she would have ever admitted in public.

The touch against Santana's face broke her attention away from the show for a moment, and she turned to Brittany, giving her a huge grin, and then kissing her quickly on the cheek. Almost before Brittany could register her surprise, Santana was turned around again, her focus on the stage. The only evidence that she had moved at all was her hand now entwined with Brittany's on the back of the chair. Brittany smiled at the sight, it warming her almost as much as the kiss had. Almost. She watched carefully as Santana, still engrossed in the music, played absently with her fingers.

The music was moving through Brittany, and as she stared at Santana, she felt a peculiar stillness cover her heart. She felt as though she were flying through the air, but her feet were firmly on the ground. She smiled to herself, leaning into Santana's hair and breathing in deeply. The fragrance was Dove shampoo, and hyacinth flowers, and something some uniquely Santana. It was the aroma that permeated everything about her, and caused Brittany to wear her t-shirts home on more than one occasion so she could wrap herself up in it and never let go. It was different from the sweet heaviness that wafted around Santana after they'd go for a run, the spicy heat after she'd been cooking or the heady light flavor that remained on Brittany's lips long after she'd satisfied her. But it ran as the undertone of all those things. Brittany loved it. She thrived on it, and as she breathed it in even now, she got a little dizzy.

She closed her eyes, and suddenly her senses were even more alive. Her tongue could still taste Santana's lips, from when they'd kiss earlier, the memory bringing back the taste even more intensely than before. Her ears, assaulted with the music and trill voices that performed below, welcomed the sound, adding to the cacophony. Her nose still buried in Santana's hair swirled with the smell of her. Her body buzzed where they made contact.

Brittany was enjoying it. She'd never felt anything like it. She was experiencing her senses through Santana in a way that she never had before. Not even with Quinn .

Suddenly, the sweet perfume was cut by another smell. It was dull at first, but sharpened quickly. She snapped her eyes open. The next things that occurred happened in a rapid succession.

1) The act ended, and most of the crowd, Quinn, Rachel and Santana included, were on their feet, clapping.

2) The curtains on the stage closed quickly, leaving the seats in relative darkness in the few moments before the house lights kicked in.

3) The curtains of their box seats closed, leaving them in even more darkness than a few moments before.

Brittany stood up and spun around quickly. She could still see relatively well in the darkness, and smelled the garlic before it reached her. She called out to Quinn who was already standing, and put a protective arm around Santana.

"Brittany?"

The voice was from Quinn behind her and as she turned, she saw Quinn begin to wobble on her feet. Covering the curtain that shielded the opera box was a huge white cross. She watched in helplessness as Quinn fell to the floor, and Rachel rushed to her side shaking her fitfully.

Brittany pulled Santana with her over to Quinn, but prodding her a few times she realized how of a futile effort trying to wake her would turn out to be. Quinn was fragile generally speaking, and wouldn't be any good to them until they got out of the room. Brittany hefted her over her shoulder effortlessly, and spun around to face Rachel and Santana, a panicked look on both of their faces.

"Alright ladies, it seems that we've fallen into a good old fashioned ambush. We're going to need your help to get out of this."

Both seemed rather unsure, but Santana put her hand on Brittany's arm. "What do you need us to do?"

Brittany set her mouth in a grim line. "We have to move."

\

Santana was surprisingly zen about this whole thing. Granted, she had been really enjoying the opera, and the room was a bit darker than she liked it, but Brittany was counting on her, and something about having Brittany on one side of her and Rachel on the other made her feel a bit fearless.

"Go to the door. They've probably set up some sort of trap that will trigger when you open it. You're going to go to the door, and open it while stepping off to the side. Then, after whatever harmlessly brushes past the two of you goes by, we'll make our move."

Brittany was moving as she talked, flipping up one of the fancy couches, and setting it so the legs were facing the door. She gently placed Quinn on the floor beside her and crouched down so that they were both covered.

"But what about Quinn?" Rachel asked.

"She'll be fine once we get out of here. We've just got to get out of here first."

They both nodded.

Santana's heart broke at the quivering note in Rachel's voice. The woman was a firecracker, and was probably one of the toughest people she'd ever met. But sometimes when she faced down the toughest opponents, be it an actual person, or her fear of auditions, there was always a quiver that was under the surface. It was something that was faint enough that you almost couldn't hear it unless you knew it was there. It was moments like this that she hoped Rachel knew that even though they bickered, she'd never let her down.

Santana reached for Rachel's hand and held tight. She was comforted when Rachel gave a small squeeze in return.

"What are we waiting for, then?" Santana said, and pulled Rachel towards the door.

"I'll turn the knob, and move." Rachel said suddenly, removing her hand from Santana's and reaching out for the door handle.

"Rach, wait a second, okay? You can't do that. What if-?"

"Then I'm supposed to let you do it? Mercedes would never forgive me. I promised her that I would take care of you, and I know you promised her that you would do the same for me. But she's your sister, Santana, and I can't have that on my conscience. Now, I won't stand here all night arguing with you. Take up your position and get ready."

Santana only nodded slowly, feeling slightly dazed, and leaned back against the door frame. When Rachel opened the door, it would swing towards Santana, and she would only have a few moments to move to the other side before whatever happened to be out there was either inside or had dissipated. She sent a weak smile at Rachel.

"Ready?" Rachel asked, setting her shoulders.

Santana bit her lip, sent a quick prayer up, and nodded, bracing herself.

With a tug, Rachel pulled opened the door, and draft or crash or anything that Santana was expecting didn't come. The door was slammed closed just as quickly.

Brittany peered over the couch, her eyebrows knit in confusion.

"What happened?"

"I-it… it's-"

"What is it, Rachel?" Santana yelled, her voice cracking with frustration.

Rachel's eyes were wide, and her lip began to quiver. "It's all on fire."

That's when the screams started.

They were clear even through the muffling effect of the curtains, and the faint roar that Santana now recognized as fire, and they were getting louder. She moved in front of the door, pressing both hands fully against it, and registering the dull heat that warned her of the danger outside.

"Be careful." Brittany hissed.

Santana nodded, and turning the knob slowly, pulled the door open. She peeked out the door and saw shadows moving quickly back and forth. She could make out a path in front of her that seemed to be clear, and closing the door, she waved Brittany over.

"We can get through, I see a way. I'll lead, Rachel will cover the rear, and we might be able to make it down the stairs."

Brittany nodded, and went back behind the couch, scooping up Quinn, and hefting her over her shoulder.

"Do you think there are more of them out there, Santana?" Rachel asked, her voice still holding a faint shake.

"I don't know, maybe. If they're the ones that did all this." She gestured around them. "But we don't know who they are or what they want. So, you have to promise me you'll be careful."

Santana took Rachel's hands in her own. "Promise me."

"I promise."

"Good." She turned back to Brittany who was standing almost at her elbow. "Ready?"

"Wait a minute, Santana." Brittany said, putting her free hand on Santana's arm. "If there are vampires out there, whatever they want has to do with us. You'll have to stay out of the way."

"But Britt-"

"They're vampires, Santana. And while they aren't all strong or fast, they are dangerous. I'm going to be a little slowed down by Quinn, but I won't let anything happen to you. Either of you."

She looked them both in the eye.

"Fine, Brittany, but we've got to go now, our only avenue may be disappearing."

Santana had no intention of letting Brittany fight this battle alone. She wasn't sure how'd she'd be able to help, but she'd learned a lot about vampires from Brittany, and she knew that in some ways she'd be invaluable if they ran into trouble. But she had no intention of standing there and fighting about it.

She reached for the door again, opening it a crack. The shadows had disappeared, but the fire still raged, more furiously than ever. She took a deep breath, and opened the door wide. The flames seemed to roar and dance in their direction, but she saw her chance, and feeling for Brittany behind her, she rushed through the hallway, and past the flames.

The place was burning.

Flames licked high on the wall of the landing that lead to the stairs, and the screams that were muted in the small room raised to an almost unbearable volume. Santana stopped at a corner and peered around, seeing the way almost completely blocked by fire. She looked at Brittany significantly, but noticed the look of concentration on the other woman's face. It was too loud and too hot, and too busy. She might not be able to hear or sense if anything was off once they rounded the corner. Santana took her chances and dashed on.

They were a few feet from the stairs when suddenly a huge creak came from the ceiling above her. She turned around to see her little group a few feet behind. As she waited she heard the sound again, and looking up, saw the flames burning across the ceiling. One last huge crack, and the ceiling split open, the old beams weakened by the fire.

Santana thought that seeing your life flash before your eyes right before you die was a myth. She'd heard it enough times, and had seen it in old Bugs Bunny cartoons, but it seemed ridiculous. But in the milliseconds as she watched that burning beam crash down at her she could see her childhood as clear as day; dancing and singing with her mother in her old room. Summers spent with her family in Puerto Rico. Late night sleepovers at the Joneses where she, Mercedes and Rachel would tell scary stories. Then as she got older, getting into trouble and being driven home by her dad's old partner. Letters to her mother going unanswered day after day. Feeling lost and aimless. Every day, every moment, every feeling re-lived and replayed until this very one, and the fiery wooden support beam that would take her life. Santana closed her eyes and held her breath for the impact.

But it never came.

Well, she felt an impact, but it wasn't the one that she'd been expecting. She felt a heavy push on her front that sent her sprawling, and all the air was knocked out of her lungs as she hit the ground, flat on her back.

Santana breathed in for a few moments. Her breaths were shallow and choking as the smoke burned her lungs. The back of her head was pounding from where it had made contact with the hardwood floor. Her skin burned with the heat from the flames as the swam around her. She opened her eyes.

There was a gaping hole in the ceiling where the wood had given away and collapsed. Santana could feel the urgency of the situation, but for some reason her mind was working at a crawl. She did a mental checklist, flexing her toes and fingers, moving her head and feet, shifting her arms at her side. Nothing seemed to be broken though she would have a killer headache in the morning, and the room wouldn't stop spinning. She was about to sit up when a shadow crossed over her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my old friends. Quinn Fabray and Brittany S. Pierce. Fancy meeting you here."

At the sound of Brittany's name, Santana's head jerked up. She caught sight of a leg crossing over her torso, and then moving towards Brittany, crouching low at her side. She winced, and touching her hand to the back of her head, felt the wet stickiness there that told her her fall had left more than a mark. The dizziness that she felt when she had opened her eyes came back in another wave, and she swallowed hard to stop the threat of bile at the back of her throat. She tried her best to swing her legs around so she could move toward where Brittany lay.

On the other side of the hall, blocked by a steadily growing wall of flames, lay Quinn who was finally stirring, and Rachel who kneeled at her side, tending to her quietly.

The shadow was now much more recognizable as a person, a very tall, very slim, very angular person. He (or she, Santana couldn't tell), was squatting beside Brittany, and for the first time, Santana could see her clearly. They were wearing dark clothes, very tight, form fitting pants and a leather jacket. They looked like they belonged in the Matrix. Their skin was a deep tan, but they had almost white hair and green eyes. Santana held her gaze for a moment longer, and then her eyes drifted to Brittany.

She gasped.

In knocking Santana out of the way of the beam, Brittany had gotten caught underneath. The pillar was not directly burning, but smoldering, and it seemed to be far too heavy for her to move herself. She was struggling underneath it feebly, probably still reeling from the effects of the blow on her body. She could see Brittany pushing feebly against the post, her teeth clenched with the effort.

The person pushed her fingers away from the timber, and laughed lightly.

"You two have been causing more trouble than you're worth, did you know that?"

Santana couldn't hear Brittany's response over the clamor in the room. But she saw the person laughed again and shake their head.

"Defiant until the end, huh, Pierce? Well, it's a shame really. I didn't have anything against you, but April wants this problem taken care of. And as you and Fabray are two of the most culpable, and Sue never leaves that fortress you call a house, this was the only way to deal with it. But, we've had some good times together, haven't we?"

They reached down to brush a piece of stray ash from Brittany's face. Santana couldn't take it anymore.

"Get away from her."

The person turned, seeming to notice Santana for the first time, and their eyes narrowed.

"What is this, Pierce? You commiserating with the peasants again? I would have thought you were over that." They turned more fully to Santana, taking her in. "She's not that bad at all, though. You've picked a good one. At least until you get tired of her, am I right?"

They chuckled and nudged Brittany with an elbow. Reaching into their pocket, they pulled out two round bottles about the size of billiard balls.

"This concoction should take the fight out of you. It's something made up as a last resort, by some of our more helpful human friends. It's not pretty, but it does the job. I'll have to make sure not to spill any on my toes." They patted Brittany's arm. "Well, I think it's time for me to take my leave. You know, exit pursued by a bear, and all that. It's been good seeing you again, though."

"I said, get the fuck away from her!"

Santana was yelling now, and though she wasn't sure what the person had planned, she didn't like the way they touched Brittany. She was up on her feet, more slowly she would have liked, and not as firmly as she could have been, but she was up. She advanced on the person, hands clenched at her side.

"Santana!" Brittany's cry was strangled on her own exhaustion, the pain in her chest, and panic, but Santana didn't listen. She was seeing red. This person had put her in danger, almost killed Brittany and Quinn, and had Rachel scared out of her mind. This person thought they could get away with all of this, well, they hadn't ever met Santana Lopez before, and they were about to learn a hard lesson.

Brittany's cries caught the interloper's attention, and they looked over to where Santana was advancing on them. Standing up, they turned and Santana used all of her momentum to go crashing into their body, sending them sprawling.

"You insolent-!" Their cries were broken off as Santana maneuvered into a kneeling position over their chest and began to rain blows on their head.

Santana wanted to tell them that she was from Lima Heights Adjacent, and that currently what they were experiencing was her going all Lima Heights on their ass, but the smoke was causing her to tear up, and the breaths that she needed were coming out in coughs and hacks that would have made any communication impossible. She was fairly sure they were getting the message when two strong hands yanked under her arms and handily tossed her to the side, where she thumped against the wall.

After a moment, she stopped seeing stars long enough to figure she probably had a concussion.

She was still at least half way in a seated position, and crawled her way up the wall, ready to move against the new force, but couldn't seem to stay on her feet. Lack of oxygen, and possible brain damage made locomotion a pretty high mountain to climb, so all she could do was watch helplessly as the new person helped the first stranger to their feet.

"You okay, Raze?" Said the boy who had undoubtedly thrown Santana into a wall. He looked like a neanderthal Justin Bieber, and had the haircut and jawline to match.

The person known as Raze brushed his hands off of them. "I'm fine! Now find those bottles, April will kill us if we screw this up."

They found one of the bottles near Brittany, and the thug JB wasted no time opening it, and emptying out the contents over Quinn, who Rachel was trying to help up fultily. Quinn screamed, covering her face, and bucking so hard her back was clear of the floor. Rachel tried to help her, brushing away the liquid tentatively at first, but then with more vigor when she realized that it was nothing that could hurt her.

Raze found the other bottle, shouting in triumph as they raised it above their head. Seeing her opportunity, while the stupid henchman was busy watching Quinn, she gathered up all her strength and ran at Raze again, reaching for the bottle. At the last minute, she was spotted and Raze moved slightly to the side, causing Santana to miss her completely. However, Raze's balance was upset, and that caused them to overcompensate too far the other way, in an attempt to avoid a patch of fire that had sprung up beside them. They hit the floor with a bump, and a small shattering sound soon followed. Raze screamed as some of the brew spilled onto them which in turn caused them to begin yelling wildly. The henchman (Santana couldn't think of him as anything else), rushed over and threw Raze over his shoulder, knocking Santana out of the way again, and flat on her back.

"I've got you, Raze. The fire'll take care of them." He said, and bounded over another row of flames, and into the smoke.

Santana was glad that that present danger was over, but they we no better off for wear. She crawled over to Brittany who had given up trying to moving the beam, and had the palms of her hands pressed into her eyes.

"Britt. Britt, I'm right here."

Brittany uncovered her face. Smiling at Santana, though her eyes were filled with tears. "You did so good, Santana. I'm so proud of you."

"Oh Brittany."

"No, you did amazing. I've never been prouder of anybody. You showed that bitch. You really showed them."

If Santana didn't know any better, she'd think that Brittany was getting hysterical. She pulled one of Brittany's hands into her own.

"Britt, we've got to get you from under this beam, okay? I'm going to help. We've just go to-"

"Santana. Santana, Listen to me." Brittany grabbed Santana's hand and pulled her close. "You've got to help Rachel with Quinn. You've got to help Rachel to get Quinn out of here, okay? We don't have much time. This place is going to burn to the ground, and you've got to get Rachel and Quinn out of here."

Santana, who had managed to get herself up on her heels, sat back on them. "I'm not leaving you, Brittany."

"Santana, you have to. Listen, if you don't leave now-"

"Rachel and Quinn can leave, but I'm going to figure out a way to get you out of here. We'll get out together."

"Santana-"

Santana stopped her words with a gentle kiss, and then pressed her forehead against Brittany's.

"I suggest you stop arguing, and start thinking of a way that we can get this beam off of you. Because I really haven't known you long enough to die with you, Brittany Pierce, and I don't plan on getting burned alive today."

The tears continued to roll down Brittany's face, whether from smoke or emotion, Santana couldn't be sure, but the smile that was on her lips was much less sad than it had been a moment before.

"Um, you two? Quinn is saying something." Rachel said in a smoky voice. Santana would never hear the end of how much damage had been done to Rachel's vocal chords if they ever made it out of this. The weird thing was a part of her was really looking forward to it.

"What's she saying, Rach?" Santana asked, turning towards Rachel and Quinn in the corner, but keeping both hands on Brittany.

"Well, I'm not sure, it's a bit hard to tell, but it sounds like, um, blood."

There was an uncertainty in her voice, but as Santana looked down on Brittany, she knew the implication was understood right away. Brittany squeezed her eyes shut and set her jaw.

"I'd argue with her, but she doesn't have time, and neither do we. She needs blood."

Santana's eyes grew wide. "Her or you? Because you're the one-"

"I need her help to get this off of me. And I haven't had human blood in a long time. At this point it might do more harm than good. At least in the short term. She's the one who needs it and then can help me."

Santana looked over at Rachel, weighing their options. She was surprised by a small voice that spoke up with almost no hesitation.

"I'll do it."

"Rachel, are you sure? It could be-"

"I trust Quinn. I mean, I trust you, and you trust Brittany, and Brittany trusts Quinn. So, that's good enough for me. And we really don't have a lot of time to figure this all out, so we might as well get to it. Time and tide wait for no man, and this fire doesn't seem to be waiting either, so-"

"Your throat, Rachel. Press your throat against her mouth." Brittany interrupted her.

Brittany caught Santana's eyes, and answered her unasked question. With a squeeze of her hand, she let go, and Santana crawled over to where Rachel sat, kneeled next to Quinn. Quinn looked as white as a sheet, all the color gone from her cheeks, and her eyes motionless behind her eyelids. Her chest was moving so slightly that Santana wasn't even sure she was still breathing.

"Are you sure, Rachel?"

"Yes."

With that Rachel tugged on the collar of her dress, pulling it down until the pale of her neck was revealed. And slowly lowered it down to Quinn's motionless lips.

Santana leaned forward, burying her face in Rachel's back, and wrapping her arms around her. The pounding in her head was almost unbearable, but the pounding of her heart of even louder. She gasped lightly as Rachel jolted, and looked up to see Quinn's eyes pop open, and then roll into the back of her head. Rachel whimpered delicately, gripping the bottom of Quinn's shirt in her fist. Quinn's eyes closed, and she squeezed them shut tightly.

A few moments later, Quinn pushed Rachel away from her, with a bit of effort. The color had returned to her cheeks, and she quickly sat up.

"That's enough. Thank you, Rachel." She met Rachel's eye, and took her hand, placing a soft kiss into her palm.

Rachel's eyes fluttered, and she nodded quickly. "It was nothing."

Santana watched Rachel as Quinn moved over to where Brittany lay. Rachel's neck was a bit red, but there were two small pin pricks of blood where Santana assumed Quinn's teeth had made their mark.

"Are you okay?"

Rachel raised her eyebrows. Her eyes looked cloudy and out of focus. "Oh, yes, Santana. I'm fine. More than fine. That was amazing. I've never felt anything like that before. I'd have to liken it to the warm afterglow that comes from making love. You know that moment when-"

"She's going to be out of it for a while." Quinn mumbled, running her hands over the wood still covering Brittany.

"What did you do to her?" Santana accused.

"Nothing. Well, nothing more than usual. Feeding on a human seems to have a certain effect. On both of us, actually. It's something that always happens. It dulls the pain, makes things more, um, ethereal, for a while. She'll snap out of it soon enough."

"I don't know if I want to. This is incredible." Rachel said in a sing song-y voice.

"How long before she goes back to normal?" Santana asked, pulling Rachel up beside her, and joining Quinn beside Brittany.

"Don't worry, San." Brittany said breathlessly. "She'll be back to her old ways in no time. It's not permanent, and it's not addictive. She'll forget most of the sensations in a little while."

Santana accepted Brittany's words, and watched carefully as Quinn put both her hands on Brittany's shoulders.

"You two might want to stand back." Quinn said, pointing towards the one spot along the wall that wasn't covered in flames.

Santana pulled Rachel along, who was loopily talking about how much fun she was having. She watched the look of concentration on Quinn's face, and suddenly a serene aura seemed to come from Brittany as well.

"Push, Britt."

It was like Santana was seeing them for the first time. The love between the two of them, the trust, there was something about the way that they interacted, the way that they worked together. They had been doing it for hundreds of years. They cared about each other. They protected each other. Santana was proud of Brittany, and she cared about her, but she felt a new feeling blooming in her chest. She felt a deep affection for Quinn as well. Quinn who had loved and protected Brittany for so long before she came along. Even if she spent the rest of her life with Brittany, it wouldn't be the same as the relationship she shared with Quinn. But she couldn't help but love Quinn a little bit because of the way that she loved Brittany.

With a deep groan, Brittany flexed her arms, and the beam began to move. Behind Santana, another crash signified that they're time was running short. She resisted the temptation to look back, and focused on Brittany, silently adding her will to the strength that Quinn was giving her. Brittany's arms shook as she hefted the beam a few centimeters more, and then rolled out from under it. The movement knocked Quinn over, but Brittany was up on her feet in a second, and helping Quinn to hers.

She crossed the room in long strides, pulling Santana out of Rachel's arms and into her own. gripping her tightly.

"I think we've spent enough time at the opera, don't you?"

Santana nodded quickly. "Let's get out of here."

Brittany guided Santana and Rachel to the ambulances that were already outside treating those who had suffered some damage because of the smoke. Getting out of the hallway and down the stairs with Brittany up and mobile was a piece of cake, but they were careful as they walked, looking out for weak spots, hidden fires and Raze and their crony possible waiting in another ambush.

Brittany put Quinn in the town car, and after looking into Rachel's eyes and checking her over bodily for cuts or scrapes, put her in beside Quinn. She held up Santana with one arm, and motioned for the driver to lower his window. Giving him Rachel's address, she pointing a finger at him.

"They're both a little out of it. Get them inside, and onto a horizontal surface. I've known you a long time, Telly, I'm trusting you with this. But screw this up, and there will be hell to pay. Understand?"

Her voice was low, and her threat was very clear. The driver, if he responded to the threat, didn't show it. But Brittany had known him long enough to know that he wouldn't mess this up.

"Should I come back for you?"

"No, drop them off, then you're done for the evening."

He nodded, and rolling up the window, drove away into the night. Brittany cradled Santana in her arms and carried her over to the ambulance.

"She hit her head, and she breathed in a lot of smoke." She said before Santana could protest.

The paramedic nodded, and motioned for Brittany to lay her down on a stretcher, while she placed an oxygen mask over Santana's face.

"Britt, this isn't really-"

"Please, ma'am, don't talk while it's on, just breathe deeply, okay?" The paramedic made sure the mask was secure, and then went to the truck to grab some more equipment.

Brittany stood beside the stretcher, one hand gripping Santana's hand tightly, the other brushing her hair lightly away from her face. She smiled down at Santana.

"Hey."

Santana only nodded, waggling her eyebrows.

"I meant what I said back there, Santana. I'm really proud of you. You went all Lima Heights on that asshole. I don't think I've ever seen anyone get the drop on Raze like that. They're usually a lot more careful. But they underestimated you because you're a human. They won't make that mistake again."

She smiled sweetly at Santana, and received one in return. Her thumb smoothed over Santana's knuckles gently. A few seconds later the paramedic returned, dumping her tools between Santana's legs, and snapping on her gloves. She was efficient, but thorough. Ignoring more of the more superficial cuts and bruises, she moved each one of Santana's legs in turn, shone a light in her eyes with a penlight, and felt around her scalp for the gash that was still dribbling blood. She placed some gauze on the back of Santana's head, and patted her leg.

"You're going to need stitches for your head. Plus I think you might have a concussion. We'll take you to the hospital and get you all patched up. Also, I want to let you breathe this stuff in for a little longer. Is that okay?"

Santana nodded, and pulled Brittany towards her protectively.

"Yeah, your friend is welcomed to come too, of course. She can be in charge of making sure the gauze doesn't move. Think you can handle it?"

Brittany smiled, grateful for the levity. "I'm pretty sure I've got it." She sent a wink over to Santana, who was still breathing in shakily. Brittany helped the paramedic who pushed Santana's bed into the truck, and then they both climbed in after her.

The scene on the street was still pandemonium. Though most of the theater goers had been treated and then let go, there were some police cars, three fire trucks. and an ambulance or two, crowd in the street. And the bystanders that had gathered to watch the old building go up in flames had yet to disperse. She looked back from the inferno they had just left and held tightly to Santana's hand.

"That might be the last time I go to the opera for a long time."


	11. The Thing About Being the Scoobies

Thanks for reading! Extra shoutout to jellyman-kelly for talking some ideas out with me.

* * *

Brittany watched closely as Santana's eyes fluttered open. She had been sitting by the bed watching her sleep peacefully. They'd arrived at the hospital about two hours ago, and after Santana's wounds had been dressed and she'd gotten her stitches (four!), the doctor had given her some painkillers, and left her to doze. The nurses had come in periodically to check on her, but Brittany never left Santana's side. She had been watching her sleep. Thinking about her courage in the face of danger. Her determination to stay with her when all seemed lost. Her tenaciousness. She thought about the look in her eye when Brittany had asked her to leave her. As if the thought was the farthest thing from her mind. Every second that they were trapped in that building was seared into her memory. It was the closest she had felt her own mortality in a long time. Even during her dealings with Will, she'd never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. Having Quinn there had helped, certainly. Without Quinn she wasn't sure if she'd have had the strength to lift that beam, and the wherewithal to get out of there. But it was Santana who bought them the precious seconds they needed to even get that far in the decision making process.

She owed Santana her life.

It was a strange proposition. To be indebted to a human. Brittany had never had it happen before, and hadn't even known it was possible, quite frankly. Usually humans were such an extraneous part of their lives. A food source. Okay for getting laid. Other times they were a nuisance. Painfully dull. Boringly fragile. But not Santana. She was vibrant and full of life and full of focus. She was more exciting, and more brave, and more fearless than any human had a right to be. And Brittany loved that about her.

Her thoughts jumped. She loved Quinn. She loved Tina and Puck and Sugar and Mike and the others. Each in their own way. She even loved Becky, though she wouldn't want to spend more than ten minutes or so with her at any one time. She was hesitant to use the word love when it came to Santana, but it was like she couldn't think of another word for it.

So, she sat, fearful of the feeling that sat on her chest like a heavy weight. Listening to the beeps of the machine, the tick of the clock on the wall, the chatter of the doctors and nurses who sat right outside the door. She saw and waited for Santana to wake up, because she had a lot to tell her.

Santana's eyes fluttered again, and suddenly she was awake. Her deep, browns staring into Brittany's bright blues. Brittany smiled widely, and felt the warm feeling in her chest bloom when Santana smiled right back at her.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"Hey." Santana's voice had a slight scratch to it, but she seemed no worse for wear.

"How do you feel?"

"Okay, whatever they gave me has got me feeling really loopy. But, I think I'm ready to go home."

"That's fine. Well, almost fine. We'll go to Rachel's. She and Quinn are already there, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Okay, then Rachel's. I kind of hate that place because of all the Broadway posters everywhere. Have you ever tried to go to sleep with Barbra Streisand staring down at you? Cause it's not-"

"I have to tell you something."

Knocked out of her rant, Santana furrowed her brow. Brittany plunged ahead knowing that if she didn't speak now, she'd never have the guts to do it.

"I told you my parents died in a fire." Brittany paused, taking a breath.

"Y-yeah. You told me." Santana's eyes widened. She looked almost afraid. Afraid of what Brittany might say.

Brittany hesitated. What if she told Santana and Santana never forgave her? What if she looked at her like people used to, when she first turned? She'd tried to go home, tried to go back to the people that she knew. But they'd shunned her. The people she thought she could trust. The people that she loved. Brittany took another deep breath, and took Santana's hand. She couldn't do it. She couldn't take that chance. Her thoughts change directions quickly.

"I just- I just want to say thank you. Fires can give me a bit of a freak out, and you saved us. You saved me. I owe you my life, Santana."

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Santana's forehead, careful not to jostle any of the wires or tubes that were attached to her.

Not minding, Santana threw her arms around Brittany's neck. Brittany could hear the tears hidden behind her voice.

"I'm glad you're okay, Britt. I'm so glad you're okay."

They pulled away from each other, and Brittany looked deep into Santana's eyes. Maybe she couldn't tell her everything, not now. But she owed her much more than a thank you. She gently played with Santana's fingers.

"Remember I told you about vampires having bugs, right?"

Santana frowned. "Yeah. I remember. Yours are garlic and that counting thing."

"Yeah, right. Exactly. Well, we have more than that. I mean, we having something else that's not a bug, but it can be just as, um, interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"Every vampire has another weakness. Well, it doesn't have to be a weakness, but we can be weak to it. It's a color."

"A color?"

"Yep. Every one of us has a color that we're particularly sensitive to. It's like someone can use this color to control us. If they're wearing it, we can be really suggestible. If they use it the right way. At first I just thought it was a color that I really liked. But I found myself being drawn to it, and later Quinn told me what it meant."

"Why are you-?"

"Yellow. Mine is yellow."

Santana looked alarmed. "Brittany, why are you telling me this? I don't want to control you, I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to."

"It's not about that, San. There are about three people on the planet who know that. They're people that I care about, people who I trust to protect me if it should come to that. They're people who I lo-"

Brittany stopped herself from saying the word love. It was too soon for that with Santana, but the thing that she was feeling seemed close enough to it. She swallowed and continued.

"I just mean, I'm telling you because it's the most important thing I could tell you. And I really wanted you to know.

Santana blinked a few times and reached out for Brittany's hand. Brittany could tell that she was still trying to digest the information. It was a lot to take in. But she seemed to understand the gravity of it.

"Thank you, Britt. That means a lot to me."

They enjoyed the moment a bit longer before Santana began pushing the blankets from off her lap. .

"I'm ready to get out of here. How about you?"

Brittany nodded, and Santana pushed the button to call for the nurse. She pointed towards the table and the bag that held all of her clothes.

"Grab those for me, we're blowing this joint."

Brittany smiled and handed Santana the bag, not bothering to look away as she shed her hospital gown, and slipped back on her bra and the fancy dress. Brittany was practically drooling, but remembering the trauma they'd just been through, she shoved her hands in her pockets, and tried to think pure thoughts.

Pulling out her phone, Santana groaned when she saw the notifications.

"Holy shit, Mercedes must have called me twenty times. She is going to be pissed, and she is never pissed."

"What are you going to tell her?"

"Nothing. Well, not yet. I'm going to tell her that I'm fine, and I'm going to come home right away. You can handle things with Rachel and Quinn, right? If I don't tell her this story face to face she's going to flip. I wouldn't do that to her. She deserves to hear it from me.

Brittany nodded. "Makes sense. Yeah, I can handle Quinn, I'll get her from Rachel's and then head home."

"Rachel seemed surprisingly fine. She didn't even complain about her lungs burning once."

"Yeah, she and Quinn were pretty close to the ground. She also wasn't running around tackling people, so I imagined she wasn't panting as much." Brittany gave Santana a sideways grin.

"Hey! That tackle saved your life, right?"

Brittany put her hands up in mock surrender. "Not complaining at all, I'm just saying. She should be fine."

"What about Quinn?"

Brittany raised an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"You said she's generally pretty fragile. And she seemed pretty out of it when you put her in the car. Is she going to be alright?"

"Well, look at that. Seems like you've developed a touch of concern for my friend, Quinn." She grinned.

"I dunno, she's okay. I guess. I mean, she took care of you all this time, how bad could she be?"

Brittany smile softened. She was ecstatic. The night hadn't gone exactly as she'd planned, but Santana was there, worrying about Quinn after saving both of their lives. She was definitely winning the girlfriend olympics at the moment. She took Santana's hand.

"She's not bad at all. I'm really, really happy that you like her, San. And she's going to be fine, too. After a few hours rest, she'll be right as rain."

She kissed Santana gently, then let her jump away when the door opened and the nurse came in.

"Where do you think you're going, missy?" The nurse said, noticing Santana already dressed and was now slipping her shoes on in preparation of going home.

Santana's brow furrowed, and Brittany sat back, excited to see her go toe to toe with what would certainly be a formidable opponent.

Brittany listened to Santana plead with Mercedes for most of the journey home. She and Sam had cut off their date night and headed in early to wait for her to come back. Mercedes wanted the full story, and Santana wouldn't give it, and Santana didn't seem content to just hang up the phone without reaching some sort of closure with the call. Closure that Mercedes didn't seem to be ready to give. The conversation dragged on for several more moments before she finally got a goodbye from Mercedes and sat back in the seat with a huff. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Brittany's curiosity got the better of her.

"Why do you let her do that?"

Santana seemed startled. She turned to Brittany with a jerk. "Huh?"

"Boss you around like that, I mean. I don't get it, you don't let anybody else do it. Not even Rachel. Especially not Rachel. It's like Mercedes is your mom or something."

Brittany's voice didn't hold a single drop of sarcasm or mockery. Just pure wonder. She'd been wracking her brain trying to figure out how Mercedes got Santana under her thumb and just couldn't figure it out. So, the next best thing to figuring it out on her own was to just ask Santana.

Instead of getting offended, Santana laughed. "She's known me since I was a kid, and I can't help it. I love her. She's bossy and she's demanding, but she's also really hard working and sweet. She'd do anything for me, I know that. So, I try to return the favor."

"Not to sound cold, but why does she bother? I know the kind of trouble you get into Santana, it's wide ranging and odd, and sometimes life threatening. I'm concerned and sometimes worried, but I'm never surprised."

Santana thought for a beat. "She feels responsible for me. When we were kids. I-I got into some trouble. She felt responsible. She felt like… She felt like it was her fault. So, she tries to make up for it, even though she doesn't have to."

Brittany wanted to ask what kind of trouble Santana could have gotten into. She wanted to know what happened to her father, and what happened to her mother, and how on Earth she ended up living with the Joneses, but before she could even articulate the thought the cab came to a stop, and Santana made a move for the door.

"It's okay, Britt. I'll call you tonight after I explain everything to Mercedes. And I'll see you soon, okay? Make sure you check on Quinn and Rachel, let me know everything."

Brittany only nodded dumbly, and felt the door close after Santana. She rolled down the window, and returned the kiss that Santana bent over to place on her lips.

"Don't feel too bad, Brittany. The evening could have been much worse."

"How?"

"We could have gone to a show where Rachel knew all the words and insisted on singing along."

Brittany laughed, and waved weakly as they drove away. She gave the driver Rachel's address and sat back in the seat. She had a lot to think about, and she needed to feed before she passed out. She'd pick up Quinn and head back home. She only hoped that she had some answers by the time she arrived.

\

Santana braced herself as she put her hand on the doorknob. The night was not going to be an easy one, and, checking the time on her phone, she realized it was almost one in the morning. She sighed, pushing open the door.

"Mercedes, before you say anything-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence before she almost had the wind knocked out of her. Mercedes had been waiting by the door, and was nearly crushing her in an embrace.

"Oh Santana! We were so worried. We heard about the fire at the opera house, and I knew that was near where you'd had dinner and you weren't answering your phone, and neither was Rachel and I thought... I just thought…"

Santana saw the tears in her eyes, and brought her in close, wrapping her arms around Mercedes. She hushed her gently.

"It's okay, it's okay, 'Cedes, I'm here now." Santana rubbed soothing circles in her back.

Sam joined them too, patting Santana's shoulder a few times before wrinkling his nose. "You smell like you've been hanging out in a barbecue, Santana."

Mercedes shushed him. "Leave her alone, Sam. She's obviously been through a lot. I'm going to run a bath for you, Santana, and get you some clean clothes. Don't mind Sam."

She pulled Santana into the bathroom, busying herself with bubble bath, and making sure the water was the right temperature. She made Santana sit beside her on the toilet, while she prepared everything. She talked the whole time, telling Santana about the news coverage of the fire, and how they'd called everybody trying to get some information. She told her how she'd gotten word from Rachel's landlady that she had come home, and how after that Sam had talked her out of driving all the way across town to make sure that Santana wasn't there too. Then Mercedes started talking about frivolous things, like how she knew it was going to be a bad day because on the train that morning she had seen an old man fall down, and not a single person stopped to help him until she came along.

"I was just thinking about how cold the world was, and how sometimes people don't even take a minute out of their days when someone else needs them."

Santana knelt down and took Mercedes hands. They were trembling.

"This isn't that night, 'Cedes. This isn't that night back when we were kids."

"I know, Santana. I know." She sighed. "But sometimes it feels like it."

Santana gathered Mercedes in her arms again, rocking her gently. "I don't know what I would do without you, 'Cedes. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you looking out for me."

"Probably be glad I wasn't here driving you crazy."

Santana stopped, putting a finger on Mercedes' chin, and bringing her eyes up to look into them.

"I need you, 'Cedes. I always have and I always will. You and Sam are going to get married and move out and start having all of those little brown babies, and you're still going to call me every night to make sure that I got in okay. You're always going to be looking out for me, and I would not want it any other way. I love you, Mercedes. You're my sister. We've been through too much shit together to stop caring about each other now."

"We really have, haven't we?"

"Yep." Santana brought her in for one last hug, and then pushed her out of the way, standing to her feet.

"Now, I'm getting in the tub. Why don't you bring me something boozy, and sit with me for a while?"

Mercedes laughed, putting her hand on Santana's arm. "Okay, and then you can explain all of these cuts and bruises on you."

Santana groaned. "You're probably not going to like it."

"Probably not, but you're telling me just the same."

"Yes ma'am."

Mercedes smiled. "I'm glad you're okay, 'Tana."

"Me too."

The water was almost tepid by the time Santana finished her story. Mercedes been sitting on the toilet beside her, riveted and terrified as she described the scene. When it was all said and done, Santana placed the wine glass on the rim of the tub with a thunk.

"Well?"

"Well, what, Santana? You almost got killed."

"Yeah, but I didn't so, I think that's pretty significant."

"You think they were after Brittany?"

"They were for sure. I don't doubt it. But she saved us, Mercedes, I'm sure of that."

"Sounds to me like you saved her." Mercedes wrinkled her nose. "But, I guess she was lucky to have you around. Her and her friend Quinn, both."

"So, you're cool. With the whole, 'vampire girlfriend' thing?"

Mercedes thought for a moment. "I can't say I'm ecstatic about it. I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better-"

"They always do."

"But, this girl seems to make you really happy. And as long as you answer your phone when I call- And I mean every time, Santana- I will feel safer knowing that you're out there with her, rather than on your own."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"If I wasn't soapy and wet right now, I'd hug you, Mercedes."

"Yeah, well in that case, keep your soggy behind in the tub. I'm going to cuddle on the couch with my fiance and get him up to speed. Soak for a while. You look like you could use it."

Santana nodded, and reached up the turn on the hot water to warm up her bath.

"Mercedes?"

Mercedes stopped, her hand on the door knob. "Yeah?"

"Why her? I mean, I know why I trust her, but why do you? What make Brittany different?"

"I have only a few people in this world that I trust to look after you besides me, Santana. My parents, Rachel, Sam, Artie. They're all people that knew us then. When things were bad. When they looked like they would never get better. She's the first person that we've met since that time that makes you, I dunno. She makes you like you again. The girl that I used to know. The woman that I see sometimes when it's just us. She makes you happy, and she makes you feel safe, and when you talk about her you seem content. It's the first time in a long time, I think. That matters to me. I can forgive a lot to the person that makes you so happy."

"Does that mean that she's welcome in the house again, and we don't have to keep sneaking around?"

"Yes, Santana, that means she's welcome in the house again. Though if you call what you two were doing sneaking around, you really need to work on your technique."

"What?"

"Don't think Sam didn't tell me about that little peep show you two were putting on the other day. Nearly blinded my man."

"Why do you two say peep show? Is that a reference I'm not getting or-"

"Seriously, Santana." She said, rolling her eyes. "Cover it up while you're in the house, it's the least you could do. You don't see Sam and me traipsing around here half dressed."

"As of anybody would want to see his pale ass. It would be like looking at the moon."

"I heard that!" Shouted Sam from the living room.

Mercedes laughed. "I can't get enough of his pale ass, right baby?"

She closed the door behind her, and Santana could hear her give him a loud kiss as she returned to the couch. In spite of herself she smiled. It felt good to be home after all.

\

Brittany arrived at Rachel's in a bad mood. She was more than a little annoyed that she'd had to leave Santana behind, and was itching to call her right away. She wanted to know how it had gone with Mercedes, and if Brittany would ever be allowed back in the apartment. She'd wanted so much for Santana's friends to like her. Now, Mercedes probably thought she was some kind of troublemaker, and Rachel had nearly been killed on their first night out.

Things were not going well.

She sighed as she exited the elevator doors, and made her way to Rachel's apartment. She didn't bother to check for the lock, knowing that Telly would have had no way of locking the door on his way out, and was proven correct when the door knob turned easily in her hand.

The apartment was very Rachel, and Brittany had yet to decide if that was a good or bad thing. There were posters all over the walls from famous musicals and stage shows. Annie Get Your Gun and Oklahoma and dozens of others that Brittany didn't recognize.

Not seeing anyone in the living room, she made her way to the bedroom, and opened the door gently. There, laying in the bed were Rachel and Quinn, but they didn't seem as though they were two people who had only met twice and been yelling at it each other for half of those meetings. They were laying on the bed, in various states of undress, wrapped up fully in each other's arms. During the course of the evening, one or both of them had gotten hot, and they'd been sleepily pawing at their clothing, until Rachel was half out of her dress, her boots forgotten on the floor, and Quinn had one leg in her slacks, the naked one draped fully across Rachel's body. She smiled indulgently as Rachel moved fitfully, and Quinn pulled her closer, bringing her nearer to her body, and nuzzled her chin into Rachel's hair. This seemed to calm Rachel who smiled softly before murmuring something in her sleep.

Brittany approached the bed almost silently, but Quinn, even in her weakened state, could tell Brittany was around and woke up.

"Wha-what?" She said, her eyes growing wide.

"Ssshhh. Unless you want to wake her up. C'mon, she'll sleep for a while, yet."

Brittany padded out to the living room, and Quinn followed, brushing a hand through her disheveled hair, and sliding her leg back into her pants.

"Before you even start Brittany-"

"Oh, come on, Quinn! You like her, don't you? You really really really like her, and it's so cute, I can't stand it! I can't wait to tell-"

"You're not telling anybody." Quinn's voice cut through Brittany's like a knife.

Brittany was startled, and a frown creased her forehead. "I was joking, Quinn."

"I don't care. Look, Britt," Quinn's voice softened a bit. "I just mean, Sue has some plans for me. And falling for a human is not included in those plans. You know what happened the last time I got involved with a human, and it didn't end well. I can't risk it. Not again. Not for me, or for Rachel."

Quinn looked wistfully back into the bedroom. Brittany didn't need to be able to read minds to see the regret in that look. She patted Quinn's hand. She hadn't known Quinn to bring up her past unprovoked, especially her last romantic run in with a human. Not ever. She didn't want to push the subject, but she was glad she was talking about it.

"I get it. I mean, I'm not shouting about Santana from the rooftops either. But your secret is safe with me. You know that."

"I know, I know." Quinn rubbed her temples. "It's just this thing had gotten me all messed up. It was fine, sleeping next to her. Her dreams are a little sing-y and loud, but I could manage. It's going to be torture going back to the house, and sleeping alone."

Brittany knew what Quinn would be going through. Feeding on a human gave the vampire a link to them. Quinn would be privvy to Rachel's thoughts for a while. Probably a bit longer than was normal because Quinn was already a telepath. It made sleeping difficult, and it would make the two of them even more drawn to each other.

"You can stay as near or as far from her as you want. And as for sleeping alone at the house, you don't have to worry about that 'cause I'll sleep with you. It won't be the first time." She gave Quinn a cheeky grin and earned a soft slap in return.

"No, it won't."

They sat in silence for a few seconds more. There were more important things to discuss, but neither one really wanted to go down that path. Brittany sighed, picking up an Ohio keychain from Rachel's countertop and twirling it on her finger.

"So, Raze and Ryder, huh?"

"Yep."

"They were going to kill us, Quinn. April told them to kill us."

"Yep."

"Did you get anything from them? Anything at all?"

"I was too wrecked by that cross, and whatever was in that water."

"Garlic for sure, a hint of silver, and you can bet it was blessed."

"Shit. And where do you think they got the idea for that?"

"You thinking Schuester?"

"Maybe, it's possible. He was working on something in that apartment of his."

"Yeah, I could smell it."

"But, what did they want, Brittany? Do you think this is about the relic? If they wanted that why didn't they ask us where it was? Or demand that Sue trade it for us-"

"Like she'd ever do that."

"It doesn't matter if she would, it matters that they didn't try. They just wanted to kill us. That was their only objective. They wanted to get to Sue, but they couldn't so they came for the next best option. Us."

"But why?"

"I don't know. I have no idea. April has never come at us this way before. In fact, if it weren't for Sue, I could've imagined working for her someday. She's kind of boozy, but she's a good leader, kind to her clan. She's smart. She doesn't go looking for trouble like Sue does."

"Then why come after Sue? Why come after us?"

"She must have felt like she had no other choice."

"And you think it all comes back to the relic?"

"I'm not sure, but that's what I plan to find out."

"How?"

Quinn gave a sad smirk. "I have no idea."

\

"Rachel, why don't you slow down for a second?"

"I told you Santana, I'm fine."

Santana walked by Rachel's elbow, almost at her side, and watched her friend huff along, mindless of the quickly chilling air. Santana been trying to get her to take it easy for the past three blocks, but Rachel was being as stubborn as ever, marching along, breathing quickly, her face getting redder by the second. Actually she was being more stubborn than usual, and seeing as that was really Santana's wheelhouse, she was gaining a newfound appreciation for people who had to deal with her when she was in a mood.

Brittany had told her that Quinn feeding on Rachel would leave her a little tired and crankier than usual. But she had no idea how much difficulty she'd run into. She had arrived at Rachel's house that morning, determined to escort her to Artie's for their weekly show meeting. Rachel was half way through a carton of mint chocolate chip vegan ice cream, and looked like she'd been up all night crying.

So, yeah, Santana had been worried. She knew that Brittany wouldn't have let Quinn hurt Rachel, but there was something about the sadness in her friend's eyes that made her uneasy. Rachel defaulted to the sunny bundle of optimism that she saw every day, and if she wasn't, well... If she wasn't then all didn't seem right with the world.

Now they were walking on their way to Artie's house, and it seemed like their roles had been reversed. Santana was the one who couldn't stop asking if Rachel was okay, or trying to cheer her up with a happy thought, and Rachel was the one shutting her down. The memories of the events of a few nights prior were still fresh in both their minds. The burning walls. The collapsing ceilings. The smoke and the flames and the fear. She also remembered how she'd felt when she thought it was possible she might lose Rachel. The thought made her shiver. She didn't want to get all sentimental, that was something that Santana Lopez didn't usually do, but she couldn't help it. She had no intention of losing anybody, and remembering the way Mercedes had reacted when she'd returned from the blazing inferno made her realize how close she'd come.

"Rach…"

"What? What is it, Santana?" Rachel snapped, coming to an abrupt halt on the sidewalk.

Santana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Look, dwarf, I'm not putting up with this anymore. So, you have to be away from your little cuddle buddy for a while- I know, by the way, Brittany told me how she found you two wrapped up in each other- But that doesn't change the fact that I'm not going to let you talk to me any way you want. I will snatch you up real quick, don't think that just because we're friends-"

"I'm sorry, Santana."

Santana stopped, her mouth still partially open. Rachel's eyes were glassy and her upper lip quivered. Whatever other threats Santana had readied on her tongue died in an instant, and she put both of her hands on Rachel's shoulders.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." She cooed.

"It's just like, I can hear her thoughts in my head. You know? And it's getting better, but she's still there sometimes, and it takes all of my control to get her out. It was nice at first. So nice. It was like getting wrapped up in a soft blanket all the time. I felt that way the first time I woke up in my bed and she was there, and her arms were around me. Then, later on… I was alone, and I don't think I ever felt so cold-"

Rachel's voice trailed off. Santana silently cursed Quinn under her breath. But, if Rachel was suffering, then Quinn must be even more miserable. Why would she make things harder on them? Brittany had told her that after the bite, staying close by the 'victim' helped ease the separation, so why had Quinn disappeared? Rachel never asked her to ask Brittany, but she did every chance she got and kept getting the same noncommittal noises that Brittany would make when she couldn't tell the truth, but didn't want to lie to Santana either.

"It's okay, Rachel. I'm here. I've got you."

Santana wrapped Rachel up in a hug, pulling her close, and stroking her hair. She should have felt self conscious. She should have felt embarrassed, but she wondered how she'd feel if she'd been separated from Brittany, and her heart almost wrenched from her chest. And she hadn't even been bitten.

After a few moments, Rachel pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"Anyway, like I said, every day I feel a little bit better. I'm going to be okay."

"I know it, Rachel. But until then, you have me, okay?"

Rachel turned, catching Santana's eye. "Thank you, Santana."

Santana only nodded, slipping her hand into Rachel's and continuing down the sidewalk. They arrived at Artie's a few minutes later, and he gave Santana a strange stare when he opened the door to the sight of them arm in arm. She glared at him, daring him to ask, and when he thought better of it, she shoved him aside and began taking off her coat.

"Please tell me Jane is here, so I'll have at least one productive person to work with today."

"I'm here!" Shouted Jane, from down the stairs.

"Good."

They all made their way down to the basement, using the elevator so they could talk with Artie. He'd heard about the fire from Mercedes, and later on, before he spiraled into a panic, Santana had called him and filled him in on all the details. There wasn't any point holding out on him. To his credit, he didn't immediately freak out, though he did seem a little anxious at the prospect of real live vampires. He did gloat a little that he knew there was something off about Brittany the first time he saw her. He would have gone on in that vein had Santana not stopped him with a threat about making sure that the Abrams line stopped with him if he kept talking about how strange Brittany was.

Telling Jane was a non issue. She admitted to Santana that she'd pretty much known as soon as she saw Brittany counting the buttons in the basement of the library, but had said nothing because she didn't want to alarm anyone. Santana gave her permission to say anything that she thought might have the capacity to alarm them if it was something that important.

Now, they sat huddled around the table in the basement, and instead of planning the show for the next week, they trying to figure out their next move.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Santana was getting upset. Every plan she'd had had been shot down, and no one was coming up with any better ones.

"Santana, I'm as amped to get out there and get to the bottom of this mystery as anybody, but we can't just run out half cocked. We could get killed.

"Artie, can you even imagine the type of power this relic has? Do we really want it in the hands of that crazy Sue, or April, or worse; Blaine? If we can find the blood before anyone else, at least we'll have a stake in all this."

"And then what? We battle Sue for supremacy of her clan? Whatever we do has to be planned like nothing we've ever planned before. If we find this thing, and we want to report on it, we have to do everything the right way. I don't know what your problem is Santana. I wonder if this is even about chasing the story for you, anymore. Is this about what's good for us, good for the show? Or is it about impressing your girlfriend, or even worse, upstaging Blaine? You need to figure out what you're doing all this for."

"Need I remind you that Rachel and I almost died in that fire? Rachel, me, Brittany and Quinn. This isn't about vampires vs. humans, Wheels, even if it was before. They don't care about hurting us to get what they want. We have to figure out a way to stop them. And in the meantime, this is still my show, and whether or not you want to believe it, I actually do have it's best interests at heart. You know jack shit about the reasons why I do what I do, Artie."

"Santana-"

"And if you think I'm going to sit here and be lectured by you- a person who brought his mom when he moved to New York City, by the way- then you've lost your damn mind."

"Enough!"

Everyone looked at Rachel, who'd been more quiet than anyone of them ever remembered her being while she was awake.

"Santana, Artie is right."

"What?!"

"We can't just go running around there without a definitive plan. It's dangerous. We could be killed or worse. We can't go up against vampires, not like this."

"I told you, Santana. She-"

"Shut up, Artie. Santana is right, too. First off, there's a story there. And a good one. No matter how much we try to ignore it, this might be the biggest paranormal story of the decade. Maybe of the century. Maybe of the millenia. I know how much we like to talk about ancient aliens and cryptozoology, and I know we've all seen stuff that we can't explain, but when's the last time we were face to face with something actually paranormal? Secondly, this is important because it could be very bad not only for us for them. Brittany and Quinn-"

Santana noticed the way her voice faltered on the name.

"And everybody else who actually doesn't want to hurt anyone, but just want to live their lives. And maybe for humans too. If vampires like Sue get their way, they'll run amuck. There won't be anyway to stop them, and they'll be more powerful than we can imagine."

"How do you know that, Rachel?" Jane asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't. But, it's what they all think. Brittany and- And her friends. And they're all afraid of what Sue might do if she completes the ritual."

"It's not that I don't think we should do anything." Artie said. "I'm for it, okay? They tried to kill you two, and though we don't always get along, you three matter to me, okay? I want them to pay, I don't want them to be able to complete the ritual. I'm all in. But, how do we do it? I don't- I don't want to lose any of you."

Rachel moved to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're absolutely right, we can't afford to go in there without knowing exactly what we're getting into. But we're not completely hopeless. But, you must remember this; we're not vampires, Artie, we don't have their strengths, but that also means we don't have their weaknesses. We can do things just on the virtue of being us, and trust me, that can come in handy."

Santana joined Rachel at Artie's side.

"Look, Artie. I'm sorry about what I said. About your mom. I know you're scared. I'm scared too. This is scary stuff. When we were in that opera house, and everything was going to hell in a handbasket I was not feeling very chill, I can tell you that. But we're like the Scoobies from Buffy. We go out looking for trouble and we kick it's ass."

"The Scoobies?"

"Yeah, you know, investigating paranormal mysteries, looking for trouble, saving the world, all that jazz."

Artie smiled and then gently sighed. "Fine. But, you all have to promise me that you'll be careful. That you won't do anything that will get you into trouble."

"What, and let you have all the fun? No way, Legs."

"I promise, Artie." said Jane, joining them from her spot at the table at last.

"Me too." said Rachel.

"Fine. I promise." Santana leaned down kissing him on the cheek. "It's going to be so much fun, Arthur."

"If you have the right information, that is."

They all turned towards the voice that was speaking from the top of the cellar stairs.

"What are you doing here, Schuester?" Santana snarled.

"Well, Mrs. Abrams let me in. Plus, I heard tell that you'd finally come to your senses, and I've come to offer you my assistance ."

"Heard what? From who?"

"Your friend Rachel over there. She told Blaine about the blood that Sue needed for the rest of ritual, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before you all became targets in this epic struggle."

Santana fixed Rachel with a dark stare. She shrugged and sighed.

"I-I just felt so bad after what had happened at Will's apartment. I figured there wasn't any hard letting them know about the ritual, and what Sue needed to complete it."

Santana groaned, rubbing her temples. "The last thing we need right now, Berry, is a distraction from Afro Puff the Magic Dumbass and his assistant hair-gel-for-brains. This is going to slow us down."

Her voice didn't carry the edge that it normally would have, and she didn't meet Rachel's eye. She turned back accusingly towards Will.

"So, that brings us to you. What the hell are you doing here?"

Will made his way down the steps, hands casually in his pockets.

"I'm here to offer you a trade."

"As if, why would we want to trade with you?"

"Maybe we should hear him out, Santana." Jane spoke up. "He may have a brillo pad where his hair should be, but he's known more about this artifact than any of us so far."

Santana rolled her eyes, and twirled her finger, motioning for Will to get on with it.

Will paused for dramatic effect, running his fingers through his hair.

"I know who attacked you at the opera." He tilted his head back, for dramatic effect.

Santana scoffed. "Yeah, so do I. A person called Raze, and their dumb ass sidekick, who looked like he belonged in a natural history museum. That's not a mystery."

"Okay, well, yes." Will stumbled. "But I know where to find them."

"And why would we want to know that?"

"You're telling me you're not interested at all in finding out why you almost got burned alive the other night?"

Santana was about to respond when Rachel spoke up in a hard voice.

"Tell us."

"Rachel-"

"Let him talk, Santana."

Santana frowned but settled back, her arms crossed in front of her.

Will took that as his cue, and continued.

"They operate out of a penthouse in Manhattan. Well, not just the penthouse, the whole building. It's not easy to get in or out, but I have a way. If you want to confront them, that's the best way to do it."

"Confront them and do what?" Artie leaned forward in his chair, ticking off points on his fingers. "I'm still having some trouble figuring out what we're supposed to be doing against creatures who are stronger and faster than us, have supernatural senses, and have lived for hundreds of years."

"Maybe nothing, maybe something. I'm just here to give you the information."

"Can you help us?" Rachel asked.

"I don't do this for my own health. For my own amusement. I do this because knowledge is power, my friends, and the only way we'll be able to stop these monsters is by exposing them to the light of day. Well, that and the fact that if Sue gets her hands on this last piece that she needs, we're all done for."

Santana leaned forward. "Can you give us that mixture that you were working on? The one with the garlic and everything?"

"How'd you know-?" Will said, surprised.

"That thing had your fingerprints all over it. I knew you'd have had something to do with it."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I keep a few extra bottles in my car. I'll give you some on the way."

"And so what do you get out of all this?"

"What?"

"Don't play all innocent with me, Will. You came in here saying you were looking for a trade, and now you're saying all you get out of this is some knowledge? I don't buy it."

"Well, knowledge is power-"

"Save it, Curly Sue. Tell us."

"They have the elder's blood."

"The blood? The blood that Sue is looking for?"

"That's the one." He said with a smirk.

"And when were you going to tell us?"

"Now. I'm telling you now."

Santana rolled her eyes. "And what are you going to do after you get it? If we help you, SLINN gets full broadcasting rights."

"Oh please. As if I worry about that. You can do whatever shows you want on it, and our little adventure, but know that I will make sure this is hidden far away where no one can ever find it. That is the price that I will pay."

"So, you're really just doing this to protect people? To stop Sue?" Jane asked, wide eyed.

"Of course. Sue has been battling with my family for generations, and we have sworn to keep her scourge from enveloping the Earth. It's my duty to do this, and my honor."

"Then it's settled. I think we can all agree that going with Will, and getting this elder's blood is the best course of action at the moment. I ask this next question with all seriousness and and caution: Does anyone not want to go?" Rachel looked around the room. "I would be the first to admit that the danger that we will have to face will be more harrowing than ever. No one is going to think less of you if you decide to stay."

No one replied, and Rachel nodded firmly. "Let's do this, then."


	12. The Thing About Being the Scoobies Pt 2

_Next week will be The Thing About Being the Scoobies Pt. 3, and if my planning is worth anything (which, lesbi honest, it probably isn't), then after next week we'll move on to the third and final act of this fic. Thanks to everybody for reading it here as well as on Tumblr and Ao3! I'm not going to be giving my acceptance speech just yet, but it's really been a fun thing to write, and as my longest fic ever(!), it's really been everybody building me up that's made it an enjoyable experience. So, thanks for reading, writing reviews, sending me gift baskets, that kidney that one time; anyway, thank you for being a friend._

* * *

They had all decided to take Artie's van as it was the only one big enough to fit all five of them, but it certainly wasn't subtle. Artie had decided that since he had to drive a van, he wanted to personalize it as much as possible, so it was neon purple with bright stripes down both sides, bright orange rims, and a warrior princess mural on the back doors.

"We might as well have a target painted on this thing." Santana grumbled as they pulled up to the curb."

"Don't be jelly of my sweet ride, Santana. You just wish you could get all up on this."

"Doubtful."

"It's fine. You're with me. We should have any problems. Turn in here." Will pointed to a driveway that lead down to a little parking garage.

Jane frowned. "Are you sure we should park down there? If something goes wrong how will we get out?"

"Unfortunately, if we don't park down there, we don't get in. It's a necessary risk."

"Jane, keep an eye out. We'll need a backup plan just in case things go to shit." Santana said.

Jane nodded and looked carefully out the window as they pulled down into the darkened parking garage.

"You four are going to pretend that you're very into the idea of hanging out with vampires, and letting them feed on you." Will shifted towards the front of the van so he could be seen by the guard at the door.

"What the hell? Are you serious?"

"There are several _associates,_ " He said the word distastefully. "-of this clan who bring fans around for feedings. You're going to pretend to be one of them. That's how we get in."

"No way am I looking to become a vampire snack just so we can take a look around this place." Artie said, fitfully.

"You won't need to actually submit to it." Will seemed exasperated. "It's just going to be the way that we get in the door. After that, we'll make our move."

"And what exactly is that move?"

"Well…" Will paused. "I don't exactly know where the blood is being held. We're going to have to get the information from someone inside."

"So, we should just go inside and ask them. That makes perfect sense, Will. ' _Hey, excuse me. Can you tell me where you keep the blood that will activate the device that could make you unspeakably powerful so we can take it?'_ Should go over real well."

"I could do without your sarcasm, Santana."

"And I could do without your total ineptitude, but here we are." Santana rolled her eyes. "Give me three of those little jars with your little concoction in it, and we'll find out where the blood is."

Will took off the bag he was wearing, and handed it to Santana, not before take several of the vials for himself, and putting them in his pockets.

"Remember, Santana, this stuff is serious. It's only supposed to be used as a last resort, and it is very potent; a whole container full could kill them."

Santana opened a jar and smelled the contents, wrinkling her nose. "I know that, Schuester. But I doubt we're going to be running into anyone that we shouldn't be aiming for in there."

"Still, it's not a very precise weapon. I wouldn't suggest that you use it lightly."

Santana only grunted in response and re-closed the jar, slipping it into the bag she wore around her shoulders.

Will tugged a box from behind the seat he was sitting in. He rifled around inside for a few moments, finally pulling out five baseball caps. He passed one to each of them.

"What are these, Will? The newest in vampire hunting fashion?" Artie joked.

"I always wear one when I come here. If you look inside, you'll see that they're covered in a metal of my own design. It's an old family alloy. It keeps those vampires who can read thoughts from being able to see inside your head."

"Wow, I'll give it to you, Schuester, you come prepared."

"Of course. What kind of vampire expert would I be if I didn't?"

They all pulled on the caps, which other than being a little heavier than usual fit just right, and adjusted them accordingly. Santana noticed Rachel suddenly had a relieved look on her face.

"What's up?"

"This helps." Rachel saw Santana's questioning look. "With, um, Quinn. It makes everything a lot quieter in there. It's barely a whisper. " She tapped the side of her head.

Santana nodded. "I guess you're not as full of shit as I thought, Schuester."

Will made a disapproving noise and went back to looking intently out of the windshield. They were driving underneath the building, in a pretty typical car park. Slightly off grey walls stared back at them, as they made a beeline towards a pair of stainless steel elevator doors.

The van rolled to a stop and the elevator doors opened. With quick steps, a crew of very intense looking folks surrounded them. Jane looked at Santana meaningfully.

"I think finding an alternate route out of here just got a lot harder."

"Say hello to the welcome wagon ladies and gentleman." Will said, opening the door of the van slowly. He turned towards the most certainly unwelcoming faces. "Evening, everybody. I've got some thralls who are interested in joining the party."

"Schue, you've never brought any people here before. What's changed?"

The voice that broke through the back ranks of the group was familiar to Santana, and she blinked hard when she saw the face of the man speaking. It was the big oaf from the opera house. The one who'd exacerbated her concussion, and opened the cut on her forehead. She seethed, clenching her jaw.

"Ah, Ryder. Good to see you again. Yeah, I wouldn't have brought them, but they're excited to meet real live vampires." Will replied, gesturing towards Santana and her crew.

Santana ignored the rest of the conversation and moved back towards the rear of the van, tugging Rachel along with her.

"Ouch! Santana, what is it?"

"It's that guy! The big guy. He was at the theater! He was the one with Raze."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Take a look for yourself."

Rachel peeked her head into the light, looking to where Will and Ryder chatted at the front of the van.

"It is him!" She squeaked. "What do we do? He's going to see us, and know what Will is planning. They know we were with Brittany. They'll kill us, Santana!"

Rachel was panicking, and Jane and Artie were looking at her with concern. Santana put her hands firmly on Rachel's shoulders.

"You have to calm down, Berry. We can deal with this if we have to, but you can't panic." She handed a small bottle to Rachel, and forced it into her pocket. "Get ready to move on my signal."

Santana turned quickly as she heard the chatter outside the car stop.

"Come on out, you all." Will called.

Rachel gave Santana a wide-eyed look, and she nodded firmly, leading them both out the door. Santana tugged the hat a bit lower on her head, until her eyes were partially covered, and stood with her back against the van, head almost to her chin. Rachel, Jane and Artie followed her, and she was able to duck behind Jane to some degree. She tried not to be too obvious as she gripped the bottle in her hand, tightly.

"You, there, with the hat." Ryder pointed to Santana. "Well, you all have hats. That's kind of weird. Anyway, you there, with the ponytail, and the hat."

Santana didn't meet his eye, and he approached her slowly. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She gripped the bottle so tightly that she was almost afraid that it was going to shatter in her hand. He was one move away, and she would be able to make her escape. Santana tilted her head towards Rachel, while at the same time shifting her hand in the bag. She could feel his breath hot and dank hitting her cheeks. She hadn't had a chance to discuss it with Rachel, but she hoped that once she smashed the jar into Ryder's head that would be enough of a signal for her to follow suit, but she wasn't sure if Rachel's head was in the game. She was panicky and wide eyed, and though Santana usually felt very secure in her trust of Rachel, the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead made her confidence waver just a bit.

Ryder looked at Santana carefully, tilting his head. "Look at me."

He was standing right in front of Santana now, and his voice shifted from its normal, boring monotone to something much sharper, and nastier.

She shifted her instep, ready to make make her move when suddenly, even before she could think, a hand was around her throat, smashing her against the side of Artie's van.

The room exploded into action; Rachel, Jane and Artie were similarly pinned, and Will was the only one free. He rushed over, pulling on Ryder's arm.

"Hey, calm down, there. There's no need for being rash."

Santana was seeing stars, and she could feel the blood rush to her head. She was dizzy, but was more pissed than anything. The hat was yanked upward, but still sat perched on her scalp. Ryder sneered into her face.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

"No way, Ryder, she's just some college punk. A little nervous, but otherwise ready to party. Why do you have to be like that?"

Will was tugging on Ryder's arm, trying to pull him away from Santana, but it was a totally futile gesture. Santana simply stood dangling on her tiptoes, her breath coming out in gasps as she tried to catch it. Ryder looked her in the eye as if waiting for a response, and squinted a bit as if he was trying to place her.

"Come on, buddy. Don't you want her to come over again? She's not going to be agreeable to that if you strangle her."

Will's tone was jovial, but Santana could hear the strain behind it. The edges of her vision became blurry and then dark as the constriction to her windpipe didn't let up. She could already feel the bruises that were going to form there. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and tears began forming in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Ryder leaned in, giving her another hard look before letting her go.

Santana collapsed to the floor.

"Maybe next time when she hears me ask her a question, she'll answer."

Ryder turned, walking back towards his compatriots, who had similarly let everyone go. They seemed no worse for wear, and Santana seemed to have gotten the brunt of it. She had one hand around her throat, massaging slowly to rid herself of the burn, and the other was busy in the bag. Her face was white hot. She felt a pounding in her ears and a burning in her stomach. She didn't even wait a moment to catch her breath before she launched herself at Ryder's back, bringing the jar out of the bag.

Before she could hit her target, an arm tangled around her waist, stilling her movements.

" _Calm down."_ Will whispered into her ear. He shoved the bottle back into the bag, and kept his grip tight on her arm.

Ryder turned and sneered. "Quite a little firecracker, isn't she? We could have some fun."

He didn't move towards Santana again, but turned back and walked towards the elevator doors. Will stayed wrapped tightly around Santana. To anyone looking casually, it would seem as if he were supporting her after her thrashing from Ryder. In fact, it was all Will could do to keep Santana from rocketing out of his arms and into Ryder's back.

Rachel joined them on Santana's other side, and took her hand, squeezing gently to remind Santana that she was still there. Jane and Artie were walked in front of them, with a couple from the clan leading the way. The went through the doors last, and surprisingly managed to all fit inside the elevator. The doors closed and Ryder tapped his foot along with the generic elevator music.

"I love this one."

As they descended into silence, Rachel caught Santana's eye in the reflection on the back of the door. She softly shook her head, and Santana felt herself relax a bit. She couldn't lose her cool. Not now. Not with so many people counting on her. She thought about what Brittany said to her while they were in the hospital. Even Brittany was counting on her. She had to do this right. She relaxed even more, and put her hand on Rachel's. Their eyes met again in the reflection and she nodded slightly. Rachel seemed to take this as a good sign and loosened her grip on Santana's arm. The doors dinged open, and Will walked in front, with Ryder by his side.

"It seems you've renovated the place since I was last here. New color?"

"Yeah, April wanted something a bit sunnier, so we just went with it."

They chatted for a few moments more as the group made their way down the hall, and Santana took in the decor. The walls were a light pink, with deep red highlights around each door, of which there were at least a dozen she could see from where she stood. They passed by the doors in turn, and finally a room opened up in front of them. It looked like a modern, upscale apartment in downtown New York, rather than the vampire's lair that she had expected. The room was wide open with several long, sleek couches lining the walls that held a smattering of people, reclining and chatting comfortably. The group was noticed when they came in, but no one seemed particularly alarmed or bothered. Santana wanted to ask how often they got new thrall in, but thought better than drawing more attention to herself. She kept a wary eye circling the room. Ryder might be too dumb to remember his own mother, but if they spotted Raze (or more accurately, if Raze spotted them), things might get hairy very quickly.

Suddenly, a pair of doors opened wide on the other side of the room, and a shrill voice cut through the air.

"WILL!"

A flash of blonde streaked through the air, and landed, very neatly, on top of Will.

"Hi there, April."

Santana blinked. Brittany had told her about April a few times. Nothing special, but she expected the woman who had sent two of her people to kill them to be a bit more, well, serious. She was wearing a rather garish paisley dress, cowboy boots, and what looked like a tiara. In addition to her bright blonde hair, she had what looked to be a ridiculous spray on tan (coloring her skin a deep rose), and seemed to be even shorter than Rachel. At the moment, all four and a half odd feet of her were straddling Will's lap and peppering his face with kisses.

"Oh William, it's been far too long."

"Not that long, April." Will said, his face muffled as he tried to regain some semblance of composure.

"Well, maybe longer for me than you, but still." She agreed, standing up quickly, and motioning for Ryder to help Will to his feet. "What brings you around these parts? And who are your new, gorgeous friends?"

She took a few steps over to ruffle Artie's hair, and Santana noticed the wobble in her step, and how her words slurred just the slightest bit. She hadn't even known that vampires could get drunk, but if anyone was, April was. Though she was still annoyed by Ryder, she couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips. Her experience with vampires was pretty limited, but she felt that April was more like Brittany than she was like Raze, and that definitely made her feel more at ease.

"They've never been here before, but they're interested in the _lifestyle_. Maybe they can hang out this evening. Get a feel for everything?"

His voice was pleading, and Santana could feel that a lot hinged on this moment. If April said no, or challenged them, this field trip could definitely end badly. She held her breath as she watched April crinkle her nose and cock her head to one side. Her face was the picture of concentration as she looked from Will to their group and back again.

Finally, she broke into a smile. "Of course, Will! Mi casa es su casa! If they're friends of yours then they're friends of mine. Welcome, welcome."

She threw herself into Artie's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let's party!"

Someone pushed Artie away from the group, and Santana started to panic until she noticed that Will was following. The group surrounding them dispersed, and she looked at Jane and Rachel who were still standing close to her side. With a nod, they moved through the room, cautious for any interested faces.

\

Brittany stood in the middle of the sparse work room. It was an old workshop that had fallen into disuse, but the ground was concrete, and most of the chemicals had long since faded away, so it was the perfect place for practice. The air was heavy with the charred smell, and since having left the inferno of the opera house, she hadn't think she'd ever want to face another flame again.

But here she was.

She jumped to the left in less than the blink of an eye, a lick of fire sputtering out beside her as she dodged. She was helping Sugar practice again, and was actually pretty impressed. After their incident not too long before, she had really taken hold of her abilities, practicing more than ever. With Brittany's encouragement, she'd started off small; lighting candles, and sometimes cigarettes for Puck. Then, feeling more bold, she had started casting small balls of flames off of her fingertips, making sure they were hot enough that they would burn out quickly, without much damage, except to the person they hit, of course. This had helped her to become more confident with her fire, but Brittany could still see the cagey look behind her eyes, as if she expected the fire to betray her at any moment.

On top of that, the attacks by April's people hadn't decreased. In fact, they'd gone up. They seemed to strike at random, and no one was safe. A few others from their clan, Matt and Rory had been a cornered out in the city one night. They'd been beaten up pretty bad, and though April's people didn't try to kill them, it was a clear message.

Sue's clan wasn't safe.

So, Brittany pushed Sugar bit harder. Instead of waiting weeks between sessions, they were practicing almost every day. The time would come when Sugar would have to protect herself from a real threat, and she had to be ready. Today was her first time using a live target, and so far she hadn't managed to set either Brittany or herself on fire. Though, not for lack of trying.

The next flame that left Sugar's fingertips burned with a warm, orange glow, not the blue, white one that she'd been expecting. Brittany eyed her carefully. A sheen covered Sugar's face and she wiped her eye with the back of her sleeve, and blearily looked over. She raised her hands towards Brittany, exhaling loudly.

"Sugar, focus."

Sugar looked as if she was taken by surprised. She wasn't expecting Brittany to say anything, and raised an eyebrow. By now, the small licks of flame were already sprouting from her fingers like ivy. At Brittany's words they went from a soft orange to a deep red, but Brittany knew that Sugar's concentration was off.

"I'm ready. 3...2...1…"

A moment later the fire shot out of Sugar's palms, but instead of a focused bolt is was like an ocean wave crashing over Brittany. She moved back as far as she could, ducking at the last second, and rolling out of the way, but the brunt of it was already settling on her shoulders. It fell full force across her back, pushing her flat against the ground.

Brittany whimpered as she pressed herself against the cold concrete, the pain from the fire was almost unbearable. She could feel her skin sparking, and her clothes melting to her muscle of her back. It singed her ears, and she smelled the faint fragrance of burning hair. Sugar was at her side in an instant.

"Britt! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She knelt at Brittany's side, patting her frantically. Sugar's hands on her hurt much more than they helped, so Brittany pushed them away, and sat up with a grunt.

"It's okay, Sugar. Just pass me my cup from the counter, there."

Sugar scrambled over, coming back quickly with the bright yellow tumbler, and handed it to Brittany. She wrapped her lips around the straw and drank in deeply, feeling the healing effects only a few moments later. Brittany had known that having some blood nearby would come in handy. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sugar, but she knew that she was still a bit of a work in progress.

Sugar sat down next to her and pulled her legs to her chest with a soft sigh. Brittany gingerly put a hand on Sugar's thigh, careful not to move too much, and jostle her healing skin.

"If I had been somebody you were trying to hit with that, I would have been toast." She rasped, a hint of humor in her voice.

The statement was met with another sigh, and Sugar brought her head to her knees.

"I'm never going to get it."

"Of course you will, Sug." Brittany's voice had a little more strength now. "It just takes time, and effort. And you've got plenty of both. And, of course, I'm here to help you."

Sugar sniffed a few times. "Yeah, I know. Thank you, Britt."

Brittany smiled and stood, stretching her back a few times. She seemed to be healed up pretty well, and tugged the bright pink blouse off her back, cringing where she had to tug a bit harder than normal.

"My shirt, on the other hand, seems like a lost cause." She turned the shirt in her hands, grimacing at the holes burned in the fabric.

"I'll buy you a new one! I'll buy twenty! I was just at Forever 21, which is ironic, I guess, or is it a coincidence? But anyway, I found this really cute shirt that i thought would be perfect for you, and I'm sure I can find it again-"

"It's all good, Sugar." Brittany patted Sugar's leg, interrupting her. It wasn't much use. She knew that regardless of what she said there would be about fifty new shirts hanging about her room in the next few days. She decided to change the subject.

"Heard anything about the hunt for this ancient blood?"

Sugar shook her head. "Nope. And Sue's got everybody going crazy about it. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some fights breaking out between everybody. They all want to be the first to find it and have whatever power that it has. If it has any power after all."

"So you don't buy it either?"

It was a risky thing to say. If Sugar didn't agree, she would have been better off keeping her mouth shut. Sue finding out would end up with her not having full use of her legs ever again. But the words were already out of her mouth before she thought too much more about them, and it was too late to do anything about it. She grimaced, focusing in on the cup still in her hands.

Sugar only nodded sadly. "Maybe it's because I'm a newbie. I'm not one of the originals like you or Quinn or Mike, but I've never gotten the feeling that she likes me very much. Or that she really likes any of us. Why would we trust her now? Why would be believe her?"

Brittany sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"It's not that we don't trust her, Sugar." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Look, I met Sue a long time ago. When I was really young. At first, I tried to resist what I was. What I am. I was alone in the world. I didn't have anyone. But Sue made me feel like a part of something, when I'd lost everything. She's tough, but she looks out for us. She makes us stronger. I don't ever doubt that. But, this whole thing… Sometimes I wonder what lengths she'll go through to be the best, to defeat her rivals, and that **does** worry me."

"Hmm."

"But that doesn't mean that I completely believe her. Maybe the relic does more than she's letting on?"

"What's more than unspeakable power?"

"I don't know. That's the question, I guess. It makes me think about the opera house."

"I heard about that. You and Quinn were almost toast. I wish I could have been there. I would have totally kicked Raze's ass. They always think they run things. I never liked their face."

"Well, I think we handled it okay. We're still here, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but you had to get a _human_ to help you. Even for you, Britt, that's a little sad."

Brittany slapped Sugar's arm with more than her usual gentleness, eliciting a small cry of pain from the other woman.

"Hey, don't do that."

"What?" Sugar rubbed her arm.

"Don't underestimate humans. I've never been that big on them, but we depend on them. They're who we used to be. The minute we stop remembering that, the minute we can lose everything."

Sugar sighed. "Sue is always telling us to forget the human part of us. That it makes us weak."

"There's nothing weak about remembering that you had a past before you came here. It made you who you are as much as the hundreds of years that you've been wandering since you turned. It's a part of you."

"I guess."

"I used to be like you. I used to think I was above them. But now…" Brittany took a deep breath. "Now, I'd give anything to be one of them again?"

"Be one of them and die, Brittany?"

"No, be one of them and live. Really live. With a heart and a soul and-" Brittany couldn't finish. Her throat was thick, and she worried that she'd say too much to Sugar. These were things that she'd only told Quinn. She wanted to tell them to Santana. She wanted her to know why she wouldn't turn her. Why she couldn't. But it was something that few people really understood. Even Quinn called her a fool for thinking that way. It seemed like Sugar wasn't the right person to share her fears with either.

Brittany shook her head fitfully.

"Anyway. Raze and Ryder came to kill us, and they were sent by April. She must have thought we were a threat. Otherwise, she wouldn't have done it."

"How can you know that?"

"April has been in the game for a really long time. She knows how things work. She knows what happens if you come after Sue. Bad things. And she's not vindictive. She wouldn't have done it without a reason. Trust me."

"So, what's her reason?"

"I don't know. That's what Quinn is supposed to be finding out. And I hope she'll know sooner than later."

Brittany stood up, shaking herself. The smell of charred flesh and singed cotton still hung heavily in the air. She put down the cup with a decisive thump.

"That's enough chatter for now. Let's get back to work."

She reached down and grabbed Sugar's hand, yanking her to her feet. Sugar was unsteady for a few seconds but took a breath and balled her fists.

"Okay, let's do it."

She took up her position by the door, and Brittany crossed the room, standing about ten feet from Sugar, not bothering to put back on her shirt. If things got bad again, it would probably be better to have nothing but her camisole underneath. She said a silent, grateful prayer that she hadn't bothered to put on a bra that morning. The idea of the metal of the underwire scorching her as she dodged another flame formed a heavy lump in the pit of her stomach.

"Ready, Sug?"

"Yeah." A beat. "Sorry again about setting you on fire, Britt."

"No worries. You'll be throwing those flames around like a pro in no time."

Sugar gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, but Brittany could easily see the fear returning to her eyes. Her face took on that sheen again as well as she squared her shoulders, and cracked her knuckles.

"You know, Sugar, maybe we should-"

"Okay! Let's go."

Sugar raised her hands, and pointed them at Brittany, who suddenly felt like she was facing a firing squad instead of a person from her own clan. She gulped, and grounded herself, ready to spring in either direction when the flames went haywire.

The sparks started at Sugar's fingertips, sprinkling down onto the floor like from a welder's torch. They got bigger in lazy waves and Brittany could feel the heat even from across the room. She fought the desire to close her eyes.

"Okay. 3...2...1…"

"Brittany, don't tell me you're in here playing around with Sugar again."

The door of the room opened, and slammed into Sugar's back, sending her careening to the ground. Her flames flew out of control immediately, and Brittany dived past her, grabbing Quinn and shoving her out the door. Sugar's panicked yelling filled the room behind them.

"Quinn, how many times have I told you not to interrupt us? It makes her nervous. And a nervous Sugar when she's practicing leads to a flaming Sugar, and sometimes a flaming Brittany."

She cocked her ear towards the door and noticed the yelling had gotten a lot less panicky. Well, a bit less panicky, and she turned her attention back to Quinn. She wanted to be annoyed, but Quinn's wide eyes and dilated pupils told her that this wasn't just Quinn annoying Sugar for the fun of it.

"What's happened?"

"It's Rachel. Well, I mean, Rachel and Santana. Maybe. I'm not sure."

Brittany tried not to panic at the look Quinn was giving her combined with the name Santana, and she gripped Quinn's arms to steady her. "You're not making a lot of sense here, Q."

"Well, I was- I mean. I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing. I was listening to Rachel's thoughts. A little." Quinn dropped her head and refused to meet Brittany's eyes.

"Quinn-"

Brittany's tone betrayed her disapproval. It was more than just Quinn being a little naughty. Quinn being an empath had already made the bond that was created when she fed on Rachel a bit stronger than usual. It caused them to be incredibly uncomfortable any time they weren't around each other. At least until the effects wore off. And they wouldn't wear off if Quinn was using the link to listen to Rachel's thoughts. If anything it made the bond stronger, and harder to break. It explained why Quinn had been unable to sleep, laying in bed, tossing and turning. Brittany had made good on her promise to share a room with her, but no amount of cuddling made up for the fact that Quinn's head was somewhere else. She would take forever to sleep, and then only an hour or so later wake up panting, with sweat covering her face. Brittany would hold her, rocking her gently until she went back to sleep, and they'd repeat the whole cycle over again in the next hour. It had gotten exhausting, but Brittany had suffered through the days thinking that Quinn was trying her best. Now, apparently that wasn't even true.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have. But-" She sighed. "I just, I mean, even before the opera, I was just so _drawn_ to her. I haven't felt this way since that gondola driver in Venice. What was his name? Arturo?"

"I don't really think that's the point-"

"But not even this much with him. Never so strong before. Never so _electric_. Just something about her makes me feel all tingly, and I just wanted to hold on to that a little longer."

"Well, I'd love to hear about why you're making the separation harder on her, and much harder on you, but I need to know if they're all right."

"That's the thing, Britt. She was just having a regular day, they were preparing for the show, she was being annoyed by Santana, and wondering what I was up to-"

"On with it, Fabray."

"Right, right. So, Will shows up, and now they're at April's. And I don't know what else happened, because it's like somebody cut the cable. I can't hear her anymore."

The thing about Quinn's telepathy, especially with humans, was that it was a bit hit or miss. She had to have created a connection before, and initially, they had to be very susceptible to suggestion. Plus the farther someone physically was away from her, the harder it was the hear what they were thinking. But, Quinn had fed on Rachel. The bond shouldn't have been broken so easily. On top of that, Will had taken Santana to April's of all places. Which was not exactly high on the list of places where Brittany's girlfriend might be welcomed.

"If Raze sees them…"

"They'll kill them. I know. We've got to get there and help."

"Do you think they're in danger?" Brittany asked, already knowing the answer.

"They're at April's, Raze and Ryder are running around, I can't hear Rachel's thoughts suddenly, and Will is with them. What do you think?"

Brittany didn't bother responding, but turned and opened the door behind her. Sugar was laying in a small lump on the floor, her clothes sizzling faintly.

"This was Dolce and Gabbana." She whined mournfully.

"Suit up, Sugar. It's time for a field test."

Sugar opened one eye and looked at Brittany warily.

"Brittany, I can't even-"

"No time. We need all the muscle we can get. Just remember what I said. Focus and make sure to point your hands at the bad guys."

"I'll do my best."

"Good. Quinn, you go and get Puck and Mike and meet me in the garage. We're taking your car."

Brittany moved inside the room, and grabbed a duffel bag from under a nearby table. She rifled through the contents quickly.

"Fine, but I'm driving."

"Not if we want to get there before everybody is actually dead. You drive like a grandma. Besides, it's still a little light out. You'll have to sit in the back with Puck."

"Fine." Quinn huffed, before storming away.

"Let's get going. I hope we're not too late." Brittany said, hefting Sugar to her feet once more, and handing her a shiny looking suit from inside the bag.

"Too late for what?" Sugar wheezed as she unfolded herself from the floor.

"That's what we're going to find out."

\

Hanging out with vampires was a remarkably chill experience, Santana had to admit. Of course, at first they were a little awkward, not knowing if they could let their hair down. But after April challenged everybody to start taking shots (it wasn't really a game; there didn't seem to be a score), everyone loosened up, and they were talking more freely.

Rachel had abstained from drinking (claiming that she was still recovering from some recent injury to her vocal chords), and Santana spit every shot into a nearby can of beer. It was a trick she'd learned while bartending, and just like the drunks at Coyote Ugly every night, these folks fell for it too.

In the end, they sat next to each other on the couch, with Jane in between them, watching the festivities closely. So far there had sign of Raze and Ryder had simply wandered away at some point. Santana hadn't relaxed, but she was finally a least a bit optimistic that this little outing wouldn't end in their deaths.

Will sat on the couch opposite them, with April half in his lap and half in Artie's, while she chatted amicably away about everything from wine tastings to the new show on Broadway. She was suddenly up and standing in front of Santana before she could react.

"Seen any good shows lately, Santana?" April purred, settling herself into Rachel's lap and throwing her arms around her shoulders.

Santana adjusted her hat from where it sat on her head, and shook her head curtly.

"I can't say that I have, April."

She was afraid of saying too much, but still not enough. She let her time in Lima Heights steer the way, and give just enough attitude that she hoped April wouldn't ask anymore questions.

"That's not what I heard."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a little birdie told me that you're more than you're letting on, Santana Lopez."

"I still don't get it, April. You're going to have to either start speaking English, or call me up when you're sober enough to know what your point is."

The room tensed in that instant. The nearby chattering stopped, and Artie couldn't keep his hands from fiddling with his glasses. Santana avoided Rachel's glare. Okay, sure. She probably should have dialed it back a little bit. But she didn't want to act like she was afraid of April, because she wasn't. Well, she wasn't really, but there were a few things about April that gave her pause. The foremost being her look. April didn't **look** like she should be the leader of a vampire clan. From what Brittany had told her about Sue, April looked like the exact opposite of a clan leader. If that was the case, she must have proven herself in a very significant way to rise the power. Something that probably involved disemboweling. She didn't want to find out. It's always the innocent ones you have to look out for. Santana had learned that the hard way.

April looked at her for a long moment, her eyes narrowed and a small crease forming in her forehead.

Santana didn't want to look like she was intimidated, though, again: disemboweling, so she crossed her arms, and mirrored April's serious look. She swore she heard her own heart pounding in her ears, but she tried desperately to ignore it, and to also ignore the tension that was thick in the room.

A few seconds later, April's face cracked into a smile, and suddenly she was laughing hysterically, clutching her sides, and dropping her head across the arm of the chair.

"Are you kidding me?"

Santana's frown formed a question mark on her face.

"Santana! Santana Lopez! From _Santana Lopez is Not Normal_! We listen to your show all the time! It's practically required listening in this clan."

April hopped up from the couch, and rummaged through a nearby bookshelf, pulling out a stack of CD's.

"I know it's old school, but we started putting all the episodes on CD so we could listen to our favorite parts over and over again. Then you opened up the archives, and we never listen to these anymore. Lauren! Get me a marker over here."

A very large woman with dark eye shadow, and pigtails marched over with a permanent marker.

"You've gotta sign these, and I mean all of them. And I want signatures from your producer, the new intern, and _definitely_ from your co-hostess with the mostess. I'm practically the leader of the SLINN fan club! Do you know the handle _IByteBack?_ You had to have seen me on there."

Santana looked at Jane, questioning her with a raise of her eyebrow. Jane shrugged giving her back that same puzzled look.

"Nothing to worry about. Now you know me, anyway. Get to signing!"

April was like a kid on Christmas morning who had just found out that Santa Claus was real after all. She pestered them with questions about their most obscure episodes, and even brought out the limited edition posters that they'd gotten printed up as a joke the year before. She even had a copy of their first Halloween episode that had gotten interrupted by a guy who claimed to be channeling the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, then said he caused them to lose their signal. Of course, they later found out that it was a construction crew breaking through the Internet line a couple blocks away, but they'd never gotten the signal back, and lost the data from the episode. Artie said it had been wiped from his hard drive, and from then on out they referred to the episode as 'The Curse of old Abe Lincoln'. April promised to burn Artie a copy and squeezed in next to them on the couch.

"This is turning out to be a great night." She sighed, boozily nudging Santana's shoulder.

Santana wanted to ask how April still managed to be drunk even though she'd watched her closely and hadn't seen her drink any alcohol in about the past hour, but she went for the innocuous instead.

"So, what do you think about Blaine and his Warlberinos?"

"Oh my god." April groaned, almost rolling off the couch. "I _hate_ that guy. He's the actual worst."

"But do you, you know, know what he's up to?"

"Ah ah ah, Santana. I know your game. You're here tonight, and asking about Blaine, and that can only mean one thing. You want to know about the relic he was after."

Santana subtly shifted her gaze to Will who sat frozen in his chair.

"Don't think you can trick me just because I got a little star struck."

"April, I-"

"But luckily for you, I like nothing better than gossiping about my rivals, and putting a stop to their plans, especially the dangerous ones."

"What do you mean?"

"I know everyone is abuzz with what this thing does, and I can tell you for sure, nothing good."

"How do you know that?" Jane said beside her.

"Because I know what that thing really does. The person who's after it, or who may already have it is a bad apple called Sue. I've heard tell of this thing, and it's deadly. It can give you a lot of power, but can definitely have some unintended consequences."

"Unintended?" Santana's interest was definitely piqued. She hadn't heard any of this from Brittany. Besides the vague wonderings about what the relic was and why Sue had wanted it.

April stood up and walked to the nearby bar, pulling out a bottle of Disaronno. "Lemme learn you a thing or two about vampires. This is all between you and me, of course, I can't have you spouting off about this on the show, right?"

"Of course!" Santana almost shouted but she put her on her most uninterested face. "Go on."

"Well, vampires, like prize winning show dogs have breeding lines. But instead of the blood lines going through, well, blood, they go through the bite. A couple thousand years ago there were two sisters, Ameni and Meti. Something in their DNA made them different, and they could cause other people to become like them."

"The first vampires…" Santana said wistfully.

"Right you are. Over time, the lines sometimes got a little watered down, and diluted with human blood, but me, Sue and every single vamp you see hanging about comes from those lines. We're either from one or the other."

"So, people from different bloodlines stay with their own kind?"

"No way! I've got people with blood from both sides here, and human blood as well. We're a very inclusive sort. But, I'm definitely from the Ameni blood line. Sue is Meti."

"And how do you know? Which bloodline you are?" Jane asked. She was putting on her detective's hat, and Santana couldn't help but be proud of how good an investigator she was.

"It's hard to say. Mainly because I know who turned me, and who turned them, and going back a very, very long time. Some of it is vampiric lore. We tell each other stories because the days are long, and the nights are longer when you live as long as we do. You've gotta find a way to pass the time. The other reason is a feeling that's a sensory thing. There's a particular feel to Ameni folk. You can kind of smell it in the air. Same with Meti. It's like a different vibration; you can see it around them."

"What does this have to do with your friend Sue, and her relic?"

"Whoa there, little lady, she's about as much my friend as Blaine is yours."

"Fair enough."

"But I've heard tell of this relic before. It was a long time ago, more time than almost all of my folks have been around. There were less of us in those days, and it was harder to keep things like this a secret."

Santana watched closely as April poured herself a drink, and took a long sip. She cleared her throat.

"That thing, if it's activated gives you amazing power, but at a price. Whoever completes the ritual will destroy the other bloodline."

Santana heard Rachel gasp behind her. She spared her a quick glance before turning back to April.

"So, if Sue does the ritual, she'll kill you?"

"Yep, and a lot of my people. Not to mention plenty of her own."

"Why would she do that? Kill people of her own clan?"

"Because she's an asshole mostly. But further, she wants to be the best. She's a bit obsessed with it. Ever since those long ago days, she wanted to be number one. The best clan, the most powerful allies, the most power. She's too smart for her own good, and she's no one to mess around with. There have been plenty of vampires who have consolidated influence, but the power that a vamp has, our abilities, they're pretty set. Not much can change them. This is one of those things that can. Sue knows that, and she wants to take advantage of it."

"Why here, now?" Artie asked.

"I don't know, maybe she thought it was lost forever. She had been on the trail of it maybe a couple hundred years ago, but lost out on it due to an old enemy of hers. A human vampire hunter. He had a bead on the relic, and then it was lost forever."

"Kresnick." Santana whispered.

April frowned. "Yeah, Kresnick. How did you know that?"

Santana's eyes widened. "Well, we'd, um, done some research into things, and it was clear-"

"Because she heard it from Sue's bitch herself, I'm sure."

The voice from behind them startled them, and everyone looked to see the source of the interruption.

Raze stood in the open doorway, hands on their hips. The scowl on their features did little to mask what were certainly some inhospitable feelings towards April's guests. April didn't seem too shocked, but shook her head.

"Raze, what did we say about being rude to guests."

"These aren't _guests_ , April." Raze was walking into the room, making a wide arch around the couch. Ryder entered the doorway behind them, a smirk on his face. "They're friends with Brittany Pierce and Quinn Fabray. They were at the opera house last week, and they're the ones who helped them escape."

Santana stood quickly, squaring her shoulders and keeping her body facing Raze at every turn.

"So good to see you again, Raze. Seems like you've healed up nicely. Sorry I had to lay you out the way that I did. Next time I put you in the ground, I'll make sure that you stay there.

Raze snarled, and April held up a hand.

"Wait a second. You're telling me that you two-" She pointed to Santana and Rachel. "-are the blonde and brunette that gave Raze a run for their money? You're the ones that are hanging out with two of Sue's most important lieutenants? Holy toldeo. I wouldn't have thought it if you told me. But you are Santana Lopez, it makes sense."

Will started to approach April. "April, I-"

"Oh, Will. I trusted you. How could you bring these two in here? And Santana? You have no idea how much I respected you. This is disappointing."

"I never lied to you, April. I just didn't tell you the whole truth. For what it's worth, I like you."

"So, you don't deny it?"

"No. Raze is telling the truth."

"Told you, Raze, didn't I? I **told** you I knew that chick from somewhere!" Ryder was practically hopping up and down, with excitement.

April pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shut up, Ryder. Now, what am I supposed to do?"

"Let me take care of this, April. I'll make all these problems go away." Raze was smiling dangerously. All teeth.

"No." Her voice finally lost that last sliver of levity, and she looked hard at Raze. "I need a plan with a bit more subtlety than you can offer right now. Leave it to me. Take them downstairs. Lock them in the tank until I can figure something out."

"April, we didn't tell anyone-" Will started, but April was over to him in a flash, placing a finger over his lips.

"Oh Will. You most of all. We could have been something special, you know that?"

April dismissed them with a wave, and hands were all over the group of humans. Rachel and Jane were yanked to their feet, and Santana, Will and Artie were all pushed back towards the elevator doors.

Santana caught Raze's eye as she was lead out the door and down the hallway.

"This isn't over, Raze."

Santana noted the same smile as before on Raze's face; all teeth. But there was no hesitation, no caution, just thick, blood red glee.

"Oh, I'm counting on it."


	13. The Thing About Being the Scoobies Pt 3

_To clear up some confusion, I want to make sure everyone knows that the character Raze is agender. I use they/them pronouns when referring to them (except when I don't, which is just a typo if it's happened). Thanks for reading and reviewing!_

* * *

The sun was just setting as they pulled up a few blocks from April's building. The faint tinge of deep purple still drifted on the horizon, giving the world a mystical glow. Thanks to Brittany's driving, they'd made it from out in the sticks to downtown Manhattan in record time; turning a usually hour long trip into a half an hour one. They piled out of the car and onto the sidewalk, huddling close while they got their bearings.

"The place is about three blocks north of here. I've never been myself, but it shouldn't be that hard to get in. We just tell them we're here to see April."

"It's a fine idea in theory, Britt, but how do you think that's going to go when they find out that you're you? The same you that they just tried to kill a couple weeks ago?" Puck asked.

"Don't tell me you're scared of April's little gang now, Puck. Worried that Santana could take Raze and you couldn't?"

"Oh please. Raze caught me by surprise one time… Anyway, from what you tell me about your girlfriend, I'd be more worried about taking Santana."

"Yeah." Brittany got a wistful look on her face. "She's pretty great, isn't she?"

"Uh, well, it might not be much of a fight if she's a corpse, Brittany, or did you forget why we're here?" Quinn snapped.

"Oh, right, yeah." Brittany shook herself. "Well, it's not the best plan, but it's all we have at the moment."

"I might have a better one."

Everyone looked at Mike.

"It's just that, we don't know the reason that April wanted to hurt you. But she's a big name in this city. And being the head of a clan here in Manhattan is nothing the sneeze at."

"I can certainly understand your need to gush over Sue's mortal enemy, Mike, but I'd love to know what your point is." Quinn said, dryly.

"I just mean, what if we set it up as a turn over. After what they did to Matt and Rory, we took it upon ourselves, without Sue's permission, to offer up the olive branch. We came to discuss terms. Puck and I will walk right through the front door, and while they're busy dealing with us, you, Quinn and Sugar sneak in the back. "

"Oh please, like April would believe that some of Sue's people would offer a deal without Sue being involved." Quinn scoffed.

"It doesn't matter if they necessarily believe it. It's just got to get us in the door."

"Mike's right. It'll have to do. I don't want to wait anymore. Quinn, anything from Rachel?" Brittany patted Mike gratefully.

"No, it's as quiet as ever."

"Okay, let's go. I'll be in front, Puck, you're behind." She pointed to Sugar and Mike. "You're on either side of Quinn."

"Wouldn't it make more sense for Quinn to stay here? It's not like she can hear Rachel at this point anyway, and otherwise she won't do much good. I think-"

Brittany clapped a hand over Sugar's mouth, and lifting her up, pulled her away from the group.

"Oh, Sugar, always joking, you're such a riot. I just need to talk to her for a second, get her head in the game. Excuse us, folks."

Brittany spoke quickly, and easily holding a squirming Sugar, placed her down further up the street, making a big show of straightening her silver jumpsuit.

"Brittany, what-"

"Listen, Sugar. You've managed to get on Sue's bad side, and I commend that. But, you should watch what you say to Quinn." Her voice was light, but there was a slight strain under it.

"What is she going to do? Read my thoughts?"

"That's all you think that Quinn can do, Sugar? Do you really think that she got to become Sue's right hand woman because she can read minds? Trust me, it's not close to what she can do. She can't do a lot of it, but her abilities make her dangerous. And do you know what else makes her dangerous?"

Sugar's eyes were growing wide. "What?"

"Her brain. She will plan and plot, and you won't even know what hit you, but a hundred years later, they'll be placing stones over the hundred foot well that you're trapped at the bottom of, and no one will be the wiser."

"She couldn't… She wouldn't…"

"She can and she did. I wouldn't have believed it myself, but I was there. And trust me. That is a part of Argentina that you do not want to find yourself in at least for the next couple decades or so. I love Quinn. She is my best friend in the world. She's saved me and picked me up and raised me higher a million times. But I would not cross her. You haven't been around that long, so I'll give you this warning. Taunt Sue, mess with Puck, heck, kick Tina in the shins. But do not. Cross. Quinn. Fabray."

Sugar gulped, and then nodded hastily.

Brittany turned back to the group, motioning for them to join them, and smiling brightly to Quinn.

"We're all set."

Quinn set her mouth in a firm line. "We'd better be."

Brittany only smiled even brighter, and led them down a nearby alleyway. She kept the building in her vision, turning left and then right and then left again, but always keeping an ear out for approaching footsteps. They were in a nice part of the city, for once, and most of the folks that they saw where domestic workers watering plants, or maintenance folks taking out garbage. The group stopped and Brittany pointed out of the alley and across the street.

"That's it."

"Have any of you ever been inside there before?" Puck's voice was hopeful.

No one spoke up and that told Brittany everything she needed to know. She eyed the building carefully, looking out for any movement in the windows, or at the doors. It looked like a pretty standard high rise, just plenty of windows, set in tan brick and white trim. Only a set of double doors faced the street, and unlike most of the doors on this block it was made of a frosted glass that made it impossible to see through. Also, it was missing the smiling doorman that almost every other building had. Next to the doors was a keypad that, from where Brittany was standing, looked like it'd never been used.

Mike's plan might be a bit more genius than Quinn initially gave him credit for. If no one made regular use of the front door, then two vampires from another clan should cause a big enough commotion that they just might be able to sneak into the back without much of a fuss. Might. It was a long shot, but the idea that Santana might be inside there somewhere at Raze's mercy made Brittany stomach churn.

She pulled on Sugar's arm. "Let's go, you two. We're going to take a bit of a longer route around. In about fifteen minutes, I want you to start making your way inside. If they let you in, wait for my signal, and just start swinging for the fences."

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Hold on a second there, Pierce." Puck waved his hands to halt Brittany's retreat. "Sure, we get in and wait for your signal, which I hope we can establish ahead of time for once, but what about getting out? Your plan is just to swing for the fences? There have got to be two dozen vampires in that building, if the numbers are anything to be believed. Give or take. How are we supposed to fight our way out of that?"

Brittany pointed to the building. "Schuester is in there, no?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't see-"

"Since when have you ever heard of Will Schuester not having a plan when it comes to vamps? We get to him, he'll get us out. I'm sure of it."

"Britt-" Puck began with a warning tone.

Brittany turned to face him. "Look, I get it. It's not your girlfriend in there. It's not someone you love. Why are you risking your life for some human? I know. Santana doesn't matter to you. But she matters to me, Puck. She matters to me a lot. If you don't want to help her, fine. Just think of it as a way to get back at those assholes who hurt Rory and Matt. If even that doesn't do it for you, you can go home. I wouldn't ask you to stay."

Brittany looked around the group, silently extending the offer to everyone there. No one moved.

Finally, Puck snapped his head from side to side, and rolled his shoulders. "Hell, Britt, kicking Raze's ass is very high on my priority list. I just want to make sure we've got a plan."

"I've got a plan. Just make sure you cause a ruckus." Brittany confirmed.

Puck grinned at Mike. "I don't think I've ever been more qualified to do a job before in my life. We'll wait fifteen, and go get these suckers."

Brittany gave him a sharp nod. She reached for Sugar again, and dragged her away, with Quinn on their heels.

"You don't really have a plan, do you?" Sugar said, in a small voice.

"Well, I've got the inklings of a plan. A very solid beginning. A shaky middle, and then, you know, not much of an end, but the beginning is very solid!"

Sugar rolled her eyes. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

Brittany didn't stop walking, and didn't turn to Sugar. "I meant what I said, Sugar. You can go home if you want."

Sugar walked for a moment in silence, still holding Brittany's hand. Her silver, fire resistant suit swished as she walked. "Nah. I don't think so. This is the first time I've been a part of a recovery mission. I'm sort of excited."

"Good. Thank you, Sugar."

"Are you kidding, Britt? If it weren't for you… Well, anyway, I'm glad that when stuff got rough, you thought of me."

"You were kind of there when I told her about it." Piped up Quinn, who was huffing in her attempt to keep pace with Brittany. "In a very fiery sense, at least."

"Well, yeah, but still…"

Quinn turned her attention back to Brittany. "Someone in there you love, Pierce?"

Brittany groaned, realizing her earlier slip speaking with Puck.

"I just... I just meant that-"

"Save it. You can tell me all about it when we rescue those idiot humans."

Quinn waited a beat.

"Our idiot humans." She added, sheepishly.

Brittany felt her embarrassment drift away and she smiled.

"Yep, our idiot humans."

The group followed their trail back for a ways, and then started moving in a new direction. Brittany could still see the building, but as they took the long way around, she caught glimpses that she couldn't see from the other side. It was completely dark by the time they got to their final destination, and Brittany caught sight of a rolling garage door, leading under the building. The side street was only illuminated by the few street lamps that hung from nearby buildings.

"Score!" Brittany whispered, pumping her fist.

"What is it? What do you see?" Quinn asked, standing on tiptoes to see over Brittany's shoulder, and squinting in the darkness.

Brittany pointed towards the opening. "I just found the back door. And it looks like there's nobody around, and no security cameras."

"There's no way it's that easy."

"I dunno, think about it Quinn. How many people do we have posted watching doors at our place?"

Quinn thought for a moment. "None, I guess. I don't think it ever occurred to us that anyone would try to break in. Especially with so many of us roaming around."

"Exactly. And we're bigger than April's clan. So, I doubt they've got a lot of security in this place."

"Do you think the boys will be able to cause a big enough distraction?"

"If there's anything I know about Puck, it's that he's certainly distracting." Quinn said.

Brittany held up a hand, point to the gate, and a few moments later, it slowly began to creep open.

"Now's our chance. Once it's clear, we'll make a break for it. Got it?"

Quinn and Sugar nodded, and Brittany prepared herself, looking up and down the long alleyway for anyone who might take notice of her rapid movement.

The door reached it's height and a long, black car pulled out of the garage. The tinted windows hid the occupants, and as it passed by, she waited only a moment before slipping out of the shadows of the alley, and into across into the garage. She heard Quinn and Sugar moving much more slowly behind her, as she cleared the door, and took a look around. There didn't seem to be anyone watching the door, and Brittany saw that it was all controlled wirelessly anyway. There wasn't a soul in sight.

She grabbed Quinn as she made her way under the door, and watched Sugar scoot under just in time, huffing loudly. Quinn was a bit out of breath as well, and Brittany paused for a moment to let them both catch their breaths.

"Look." She pointed down the corridor a bit. "There's Artie's van."

"Who's Artie?" Said Sugar, eyeing the brightly painted van with distaste.

"He's Santana and Brittany's producer. He runs all the technical stuff for the show." Quinn responded.

Brittany spared Quinn a glance.

"What? Nowadays I'm listening to the show as much as you are."

"You make a good point. Anyway, if that's here that means they're definitely here. Or at least they were. C'mon."

Brittany led them towards the van, sticking close to the wall and keeping an ear out for anyone coming their way. It seemed like the whole place was deserted. Then again, someone with her same abilities could be listening around the next corner, waiting for them to come around and take them by surprise. She kept one hand on Quinn as she led them. She might need to push her out of danger should it come to that. She hoped it didn't.

They approached the van slowly, and Brittany didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The parking garage was almost sterile in its cleanliness. It was like it was barely used. Brittany walked to the front of the van and touched the hood.

"Cold. They must have been here a while."

Suddenly, behind them, an elevator dinged. Brittany was barely able to pull them around the other side of the van before the doors slid open and three people walked out.

"Shh." She shushed Sugar. She was really starting to regret the heat resistant suit she had gotten for Sugar. But, she figured that the least she could do was keep her from setting her own clothes on fire every time she used her abilities. It wasn't a perfect solution to her fear of fire, but it couldn't hurt.

In the meantime the suit was loud. It was like Sugar was wrapped in tin foil, and every moment of her arms and legs made a subtle whooshing noise that threw off Brittany's concentration. She gave Sugar a glare to show her she meant business, and turned her attention back to the group that had just gotten off the elevator.

There were two women and a man. One of the women was large with round rimmed glasses and her hair in pigtails. Brittany was sure she'd seen her before, hanging out with April, but she couldn't be sure. The other two were walking close beside each other, and when they weren't speaking in unison, they were finishing each other's sentences. They were either related, or the most disgusting couple in the world.

"What was that?" Said the pigtailed woman.

Brittany ducked her head down under the window she'd been peeking over, and shuffled so her feet were hidden from the other side of the van by the tire.

"I dunno, but we need to figure out-"

"-What we're going to do."

"Dammit, Madison, Mason, if you two start talking like you're reading from the same script again, I will personally disembowel you."

There was a pause where Brittany could almost hear the silent communication between the pair, and then the boy (she assumed he was Mason), cleared his throat to continue.

"We just- I mean, I just don't know. We have to stop Raze. If April finds out what they're going to do to those humans. And we didn't stop them… We're dead meat."

"And it's not like we can just stop them. Raze is going to do what Raze is going to do. Lauren, you were there. You saw the look on their face when they faced that human. Raze means business, and they're not going to stop until they're satisfied. "

The pigtailed woman (Lauren) slammed her hand against the side of the van, and sighed. "I don't care what happens to these humans, I just do what April says."

"But April said we weren't supposed to harm them. She said-"

"She said leave it to her. And that's what we're going to do. Now, if we tell her that Raze has got some ideas, and she gets back in time to put a stop to all this, then Raze won't have to know that we were involved. Clear?"

"Crystal." They said, simultaneously.

Lauren sighed, and almost audibly rolled her eyes. "C'mon, we can use the phone out in the guard room. That way we won't run into any distractions."

"But Lauren, what if Raze gets through with them before April gets back?"

Madison, this time.

"Then, we'll just have to tell her we did our best. What're a few more dead humans in the end?"

Nobody had a response for that, and the sound of their footsteps signaled their departure. Brittany gritted her teeth, and balled her fists to keep herself from making a sound. Santana was at the mercy of Raze, and who know what sick tortures they'd come up with? She looked through the window over at the other side of the van, and seeing no one, rushed over to the elevator, motioning for Sugar and Quinn to join her. She pushed the button, and flinched when the dinging sound echoed through the empty parking garage.

They went through the doors, seeing a line of buttons designating any of the floors that Santana could be trapped in. She looked at Quinn helplessly.

"Any ideas?"

Quinn tore her eyes away from Brittany and stared at the elevator buttons. She looked for a long moment, as if she were trying to sense the humans through the sturdy plastic covered buttons. Below the parking garage, were five more levels, the lowest of which was marked SB. Quinn didn't hesitate, and pushed the button firmly.

"Where does it go?" Sugar asked, looking up towards the ceiling as they slid further underground.

Quinn narrowed her eyes, grimly. "I'm thinking we'll find out in a few moments."

\

Santana had been in some uncomfortable situations before. Heck, she worked with Rachel Berry for a living. Add to that the time they had lived together for a while, and she was almost an expert on torture. But all those months having to listen to Rachel sing Christmas carols in the shower (not caring that it had been May) couldn't have prepared her for this.

And they hadn't even been touched yet.

After they had been marched downstairs, they have been put into a tiny room, the door shut firmly behind them. The five of them locked in there in the stuffy box was bad enough, but the worst part was not knowing what was going to happen to them. Santana didn't think that April would kill them, but Raze definitely would, if given half a chance. They didn't just have a grudge against Santana, they had a vendetta. She imagined that Raze hadn't found much defeat when they went up against an opponent. Well, they had never fought Santana Lopez before.

At least there were chairs in the room, though not nearly enough. So, Santana sat on the floor with her back against a wall, fidgeting nervously. Even Rachel knew that it was best to keep quiet, and had mainly just kept to herself, glancing towards the door every few moments.

There was a commotion on the other side of the door, and Santana stood up, rushing over, and pressing her ear against it.

"Hear anything?" Rachel whispered.

"Shhh!" Santana said, waving her away.

She couldn't hear much, just muffled voices, and shouting. Then a moment later, they were gone. She tugged on the handle, and when it didn't budge, kicked it once for good measure.

"God dammit!"

"Santana, there's no need-"

"Shut up, Schuester. It's your fault we're in here in anyway." Santana snapped.

"My fault?!"

"Yes. We have to find the blood, guys. We have to stop them!" She seethed, pointing a finger at Will. "And now look where we are. Locked in some room, probably about to get drained dry in a few minutes. And that's if we're lucky. If we're not lucky, Raze will come in here, take us one by one, and pluck out all of our fingernails before setting us on fire."

"I remember you being pretty gung ho for this plan when we were back at Artie's house."

"That's because I thought you had a plan! When in fact all you had was a poorly stitched failure contract. Which we all signed on the bottom line."

"He's right, Santana. We all said we wanted to do this. We wanted to stop Sue. This isn't his fault anymore than it is mine. Or yours." Artie's calm voice cut through the tension like a knife.

Santana only rolled her eyes, folding her arms and huffing against the wall. "Whatever."

It was the closest they would get to her conceding the point, so they left it, and all settled back down. For the next few minutes, though, there were occasional thumps and yells that they could hear even in the closed off room.

Of course, Santana had to admit Artie had a point. But it really wasn't about her blaming Will. It was about her blaming someone. Anyone. Someone had to take the blame because if they didn't it would mean that it was her fault that she'd die in the basement. It would be her fault that she lead her friends there. It would be her fault that she never saw Brittany again. Brittany. The name rebounded in her head a few times getting louder and louder. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave Brittany behind. Brittany, whom she had just found, and who was quickly becoming a more and more important part of her life. She had turned her phone off before coming to April's, and their captors had taken all of their cellphones before shoving them in their makeshift holding cell, but she could still remember the last message she'd gotten from Brittany. She had taken the subway to Artie's and as she walked they had been text chatting about the group's preparations for the show. Brittany had told her that she was proud of her. The feeling had been so warm in Santana's belly, that she probably could have floated the rest of the way. It was little things like that. Brittany asking about her day, or remembering something unimportant she said, or getting her a gift that didn't cost much, but would mean the world to her. All of those things that made Brittany, Brittany.

Santana pulled her knees to her chest and dropped her head. She couldn't stand the thought of it. Not getting to say goodbye to those blue eyes. Never again getting to kiss those lips. She felt the tears hot behind her eyelids, but she kept her eyes squeezed shut.

She shook herself. This wasn't Santana Lopez. This wasn't the Santana Lopez that stared down a stray dog after it had trapped Rachel up a tree. This wasn't the Santana Lopez who had climbed up the side of a first people's tomb with only a flashlight for company. This wasn't the Santana Lopez who had told her abuela that the arroz con pollo she made for the last family dinner was "a bit too dry". That Santana Lopez was fearless. She was creative. She was strong. That Santana Lopez wouldn't sit in a corner, crying because she'd face a little set back. Santana rose to her feet.

"We can't just sit here, waiting for them to come back." She hit her fist with her palm for emphasis. "We have to be ready. If we're alive, we can fight. If we can fight, we can make it out of here. We're SLINN. And Will, I guess. I just mean, we've gone through worse situations than this and come out on top. I can't believe we're all sitting here, ready to accept our fate. We're better than that!"

One by one, they looked up at her. They didn't seem completely convinced, but Santana could see the light shining (however dimly), in their faces.

"Let's do it!" Rachel raised a fist in the air. "We're much like Jean Valjean in his quest for freedom from oppression. I was cast in Les Miz as a freshman, and I can tell you-"

"You got the idea, Berry. Let it go." Santana said.

She turned to Rachel, and urged her out of the chair, picking it up, and pointing it at the door.

"The next person that comes through that door, we ram with this chair as hard as we can. All of us together. We don't stop until we hit the wall, and then we make a break for it. We go back the way that we came."

"What if there are two of them?" Will asked.

"Then there are two of them! We don't have a better plan, so I suggest we go with it. Any objections?"

When no one said anything, Santana positioned herself in front of the door, which opened out, and felt her small group line up behind her. Artie pulled up beside her.

"Maybe let me hold the chair."

"Artie-"

"I will catch them exactly at body level, and you can all push my chair. It'll be better than us trying to push your back." He replied, sheepishly.

Santana hesitated only for a moment before handing the chair over to Artie, and maneuvering him into position.

"You're a good guy, Arthur Abrams."

"I'm touched, Santana. Really."

Santana punched him lightly in the shoulder and laughed.

Suddenly the lights flickered off and then on again. Santana froze. Even that one moment in the dark, without a single light to illuminate things was highly uncomfortable. She turned and met Rachel's eyes, her stared back into her own, wide-eyed.

"I'm sure it was just a fluke." Rachel said, hopefully.

The lights seemed to hear her, and went out again. Staying off for another moment longer before flickering back on.

"Maybe-" Rachel tried again.

"Shut it, Hobbit. I don't need your sunny optimism right now." Santana growled.

They all looked up at the ceiling for a minute more, each willing the lights to stay on. No one willing it more than Santana. Sure, she had gotten better about the dark. Especially after meeting Brittany. But there are some wounds that might never heal completely. The lights dimmed again, but strengthened before going out entirely.

The room was pitch black. Santana couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. She counted the seconds, waiting for the lights to come back on.

After a minute or so, it was clear they weren't, and the noises on the other side of the door kept getting louder and louder. More footsteps, more yelling. Santana's breath came more and more quickly, and she could feel her palms getting sweaty. She jumped a bit when she felt a hand on her arm.

"I'm right here." Rachel whispered softly into her ear.

Santana only grunted. Focusing on where she knew the door was. And as the seconds ticked on, she became more and more aware of how tiny the room was, and how the darkness had seeped into every corner. Her heart pounded in her ears, and with every beat it seemed to get louder and louder. The panic that always stalked her in the dark sat low in her stomach. She was doing an okay job ignoring it, but the beads of sweat that were popping up on her forehead betrayed how she really felt about the whole situation.

It hadn't always been like this. She remembered nights in elementary school stargazing with her dad, or sitting in Mercedes' dark room, telling ghost stories. She had nothing but fond memories of those times. But later, after she'd heard her father was dead, after she'd run out into the night searching for her mother… Mercedes' had taken to leaving the hall light on at night, and Santana had been ashamed to have taken so much comfort in it.

Santana freed one of her hands from the vice grip that she'd had on Artie's chair and wiped some sweat away from her eyes. She really couldn't see anything, but her eyes were stinging from the salt.

"Santana-"

"Not now, Jane". Rachel said gently.

"I'm fine, Jane. Really."

Santana reached her hand over, and patted where she had last seen Jane. All at once there were voices approaching the door. The stopped for a moment, before continuing on. The sounds returned (or someone else came from the same direction). Santana held her breath. There was a moment of chatter before she felt Rachel's lips near her ear.

"We're going to get out of this."

The voices near the door stopped. Then started again, a bit more frantically. The door was too thick for them to make out what they were saying clearly, but they were overlapping each other, and seemed to be arguing. Then the door rattled. It was solid in the frame, but someone was pulling, and pulling hard on the handle. It rattled some more, and Santana heard the muffled yelling that was accompanying it.

"It's Raze. They've come down to finish the job. I know it. We've got to be ready." Will said, in a panicky voice.

"We don't know that. But whoever it is, we should be ready."

Santana was anything but calm, but her voice was the picture of serenity. She focused on keeping her voice even, and gripped impossibly tighter on Artie's chair. The voices moved away from the door, and the heavy sound of someone kicking at the door followed. Santana could feel all the bodies around her tense. If it was Raze, then they were pissed. The door creaked and groaned, but didn't budge.

"Why do you think Raze doesn't just unlock the door?" Artie whispered.

"I'm hoping it's because no one would give them the key." Rachel responded.

The kicking stopped, followed by three knocks in quick succession. Santana swallowed hard. She sent a quick prayer up that the door would stay closed. This was getting more and more frustrating as time ticked by, and the dread that had settled in Santana because of the darkness started to burn white hot with rage. How dare Raze screw with them this way? If they wanted to kill her, then just go ahead and do it. All this messing with them, and what was the point? Once that door opened, she was going to go at Raze as hard as she could. And she meant what she said earlier, she was going to put them in the ground.

The lights seem to have no intention of coming back on. They had stopped flickering several minutes before, and had stayed dark. Santana was able to keep the anger at the forefront of her mind, but the icy fingers of fear made another appearance, causing her to shiver.

"Does anybody smell that?" Artie squeaked.

"What?" Said Will.

"It smells like… it smells like smoke."

"Goddammit." Santana muttered.

First the opera house, and now here. She was getting really, really sick of fire. She reached out a hand towards the door, and before she even touched the metal, she could feel the heat radiating through it.

"Everybody stand back. There's a fire behind that door."

They pulled Artie back a few feet, all of them keeping their positions behind him. Santana could have sworn she saw a faint glow coming from the side opposite the handle.

"When that door goes, we make our move." She said, gruffly.

"How will we know-" Rachel wasn't able to finish her sentence before the hinges buckled, and light spilled through.

The group didn't bother to let their eyes get adjusted before barreling through the broken door, using Artie as a battering ram. There was a grunt as they slammed into a body, and found themselves in a heap outside. The faint smell of charred metal still hung in the air, and Santana didn't wait until she was throwing punches in the air.

"Raze, I told you, you come for me, I come for you." She shouted, grunting as her punches and kicks landed onto bodies.

All of a sudden she was pulled to her feet, and arms were around her, almost crushing her with their strength. Her vision cleared as a familiar fragrance hit her senses.

"Brittany?"

"Yeah, hey Santana."

The tears were in her eyes before she even thought about it. She wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, squeezing almost as hard as she was being squeezed. A hiccup caught in her throat, and it was a few moments before she could speak.

"Sorry I'm late." Brittany said, nuzzling her face into Santana's hair.

Santana made several noncommittal whimpering noises, and continue to hold on to Brittany for dear life. She watched the group detangle themselves from the floor, and Rachel and Quinn were to each other immediately, Rachel fussing over Quinn feverishly and straightening out her clothes. It was only when Quinn wrapped her up in her arms that Rachel was able to still her hands, her face contorting with tears as she grasped at Quinn's arms.

"You're not." Santana said, her voice muffled by the fabric of Brittany's flannel long sleeved shirt.

"Huh?" Brittany's voice had taken on a bit of a watery quality, and she cleared her throat a few times.

"Late. You're not late. Seems to me that you're right on time."

Santana could feel Brittany's smile in her shoulder, and she felt her own creep onto her face.

"Cheesy."

"You love it."

Brittany's face got serious quickly. "I do."

Santana pulled back a bit to meet Brittany's eyes. The blue that stared back at her drilled into her own. Brittany had come to find her. She'd come into the den of her enemy, forgetting all about the danger, all about the risk, to find her. And she hadn't stopped until she had. Something in that look moved her.

"Brittany, I-"

"Will you roll off of me, lard ass?!"

Sugar was still on the ground, her legs tangled underneath her as Artie scrambled to move out of the way.

"Calm down, Sugar." Brittany disengaged herself from Santana (not before giving her a significant look), and moved over to where Artie sat. She effortlessly lifted him up by his whole wheelchair and waited patiently while Sugar crawled to her feet.

Artie was in awe. "Wow, you're strong."

"Save it, Stubbs McGee." Sugar snapped, brushing off her suit, and crinkling as she moved.

Brittany gently placed him down, and smiled when Santana possessively took hold of her hand. For the first time, Santana took a look around. There was a faint haze of smoke everywhere, but she couldn't see the fire. It was her first time meeting Sugar face to face, but she was exactly how Brittany had described her. Ridiculous outfit included. Will looked absolutely terrified, and Artie wouldn't stop looking at Brittany with a stupid grin on his face. Rachel and Quinn stood nearby with their arms intertwined at the elbow, and Jane looked surprisingly calm after all they'd been through. She turned to Brittany with purpose.

"How do we get out of here?"

"Well-" Brittany started before thinking for a moment. "I don't think we can go the way we came, because we just saw a bunch of angry looking folks running that way. And Mike and Puck are around here somewhere causing trouble, so we should probably swing by and get them before we leave."

"You mean we can't go up the elevator?" Santana ran her hands through her hair.

"We need to go through the front door, if we can." Quinn offered. "For the boys."

"We can take the stairs. On the other side." Jane pointed down the hall. "If we go up the five flights, we should be right near the door."

"How do you know that?" Will asked, suspiciously.

"I was paying attention, Will. Anyway, I was in charge of the escape route, remember?"

Santana was beaming, and patted Jane on the shoulder. "Perfect. Let's do it."

"But what about Artie?" Will asked, breaking in again.

"Leave that to me." Said Brittany. "I can carry him up, no problem."

She tugged lightly on Santana's hand and grinned. Silently saying what they didn't need to say aloud, and leading them down the hall.

\

Brittany knew Santana was jealous.

It was a silly notion because in addition to carrying Artie upstairs on her back, she'd never let go of Santana's hand, not for a moment. But, she was jealous. It was intolerably cute, and it took all of Brittany's will power not to stop on the steps and kiss her senseless. Just when she'd think that Santana couldn't get any cuter, she'd go and do something like get jealous that her friend was getting to ride on Brittany's back instead of her, and Brittany would be smitten all over again. Of course, the little things she did moved Santana too, Santana was always telling her that. But the way that she pounded up the stairs a little louder than absolutely necessary, and the way that she'd charged out that door, ready to fight anyone who would dare keep her friends hostage… Those were the types of the things that made Brittany love her.

Instead of the thought that she loved Santana shocking her, she felt it settle, warm and low, in her stomach. She loved Santana. She would probably never hear the end of it from Quinn (though the way she and Rachel hadn't stopped touching each other the whole time probably didn't give her much room to tease). It was an amazing feeling, and if the look that Santana had given her when she'd realized who'd opened the door was any indication, Santana loved her too. She practically floated up the stairs. She didn't know what it would mean for the two of them, she didn't know what the future would hold, but in her very heart she was as happy as she had ever been, and that meant a lot. Artie was like a pillow on her shoulders, and she had to check herself a few times that she didn't walk to quickly for Santana to keep up. A few times she wanted to stop and offer Santana a ride as well, but figured that might be a blow to her pride so she let her be.

So, she measured her pace carefully, and pulled the group to a stop several times as she hears footsteps on the stairs several floors up. She wasn't sure, but she didn't want any vampires with sensory abilities like hers catching them in the act. Though, Brittany would have heard the group panting from a mile away. Will and Jane were having a particularly hard time of it, as they were the ones tasked with carrying Artie's chair. She pulled them to a stop on the last floor before the ground floor, letting them catch their breath, and turning to Santana.

"Okay, when we go out there, I'm not sure what we'll find, so I think it's best that we be prepared."

"Actually," Santana said, reaching deep into the recesses of her beat up leather jacket, and pulling out two medium sized orbs. "These might come in handy."

"I remember those. Raze used them against us at the opera house. I was wondering where'd they'd gotten the recipe." Brittany let her voice trail off, and looked pointedly at Will.

"It's how I got in their good graces. I never meant for it to be used against you, I can assure you-"

"Save it, Schuester. Now I'm beginning to get why it is that Sue wants you gone so much." Quinn snapped.

Will snapped his mouth shut, and at least had the decency to look abashed.

"Wait here for a second." Brittany said, setting Artie down on the steps. She walked up the remaining flight in a heartbeat, and slowly approached the door, carefully pressing an ear against it. There was a distance yelling, and more running now and then. Some of it was super naturally fast, some of them just heavy footfalls, but they all seemed to be going in the same direction. She figured that once they got the group to the front door, the rest would be a piece of cake. As long as she knew that Santana was safe, she could hunt for Mike and Puck in peace. She turned and jumped a bit when she saw Santana right behind her.

"Geez, you scared me."

"I didn't even think you could be snuck up on. Sorry."

"Don't be. It gives me a chance to do this."

She pulled Santana close to her, and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She smiled a bit when Santana's arms automatically went around her waist, and pulled her closer still.

"Thank you, Britt." She whispered, pressing her face into Brittany's shoulder.

Brittany only nodded. She didn't want to think about what could have happened had she not been there in time. If Raze had been the first person through that door. She shivered.

"Cold?" Santana smirked.

"Not anymore."

Brittany placed a kiss on her forehead, then one on each of her cheeks.

"Could you two stop making out, so we can make a move? I'm losing it down here. With all this waiting."

Brittany could hear the strain in Sugar's voice. She had only used her abilities so far to melt through the hinges on the door. She probably wasn't ready to fight, but there she was anyway. She squared her shoulders, and gave Santana's a reassuring squeeze.

"Let's get out of here."

She jogged down the steps, and gently setting Artie on her back again, went back up them, and stood close beside the door handle. The group joined her one by one, and after a firm look at Quinn, began slowly pulling the door open. She looked out quickly. There didn't seem to be anyone. She could see the light from the streetlamps coming in hazily through the opaque front doors. It was almost the only illumination in the vast front hallway, except for the lone fluorescent light blinking above the desk that was facing the door. It reminded Brittany of the reception desk at a hotel. The strains of Hotel California thrummed through her head. You're free to check out any time you like, but you can never leave. She hoped it wasn't a bad sign. As far as she could tell, they were almost home free. She stepped through the door and looked cautiously from side to side. The thumping footsteps seemed farther away and she watched closely for any movement. Seeing none, she pulled the door open a little wider and took a few steps inside. Santana put a hand on her shoulder, and followed close behind.

The room was awash with sounds and smells, and the flickering light made it tough for her to focus on any one point. The stress of the day washed over her. Shadows swept over the walls, and she wasn't sure where to look. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have backed them up, and told them all to wait until she made sure it was safe. But the door was in front of them, and Santana was behind her, and she could feel the brunette's heart beat through the hand that rested on her shoulder. She could feel Santana's warm breaths hitting the back of her neck, and even though she didn't speak a word, Brittany knew that Santana wanted out of this building more than she could say. All the same, if she had been thinking clearly, she would have waited.

But she wasn't thinking clearly.

So, when she'd only taken a few steps, the group completely exposed from the relatively safety of the stairwell, and the door was deliciously in reach, she wasn't surprised when the lights snapped on.

"You should have known better than thinking it would be that easy, Pierce." A voice snarled.

Brittany sighed, squeezing her eyes closed. "Nice to see you too, Raze."

She opened her eyes to look, and gasped, not shocked to see Raze or their crew of about ten vampires, whom she expected, but also Puck and Mike, kneeling on the floor in front of Raze, hands and feet bound behind them, all bloodied noses and busted lips.

Brittany fought the itch to surge forward. "What did you do to them?"

"They came in causing trouble. So, we taught them a lesson." Raze said, matter of factly. "Why did you send in your wench? You wanted information you couldn't get? Or was this all about breaking in here? I would have thought you were better than sending a human to do your dirty work. From the way that she fought for you a few weeks ago, I would have thought she loved you. Or can't you see it?"

Brittany felt her ears burning, and she pointedly avoided Santana's gaze. Though, the hand on her shoulder gripped her a bit more tightly.

"I didn't send her, Raze. She came on her own. But I'm taking her home now. The easy way or the hard way, doesn't matter much to me. But, I'm getting her there."

Brittany's casual tone belied the hard edge in her voice. Raze would have to have been deaf not to hear it. She hoped that it might be enough to dissuade them from making things any more difficult than they needed to be.

Her hopes crashed when Raze smiled that toothy smile of theirs, sharp and pointy and mean.

Brittany sighed, resigning herself, and turned, placing Artie in his wheelchair behind her. She noticed that their retreat was blocked as well, when two men stepped out of the stairwell they'd just excited, not bothering to move from the doorway.

She turned back, slowly. "We don't have to do this, Raze."

"Oh, but we do." Raze laughed. "Do you really think that April is going to let Sue get away with this? And the fact that you're going along with it is laughably insane. Is your blind devotion to that bitch so absolute? Or has she convinced you that you won't be destroyed along with everyone else?"

"Raze-"

"I'm sure she's convinced you that this is some lofty goal. That you're doing good in the world." Raze laughed, again. "You're so naive, Brittany. I'd feel bad for you, but I know that you should know better."

"Just let them go." Brittany broke in. She didn't know what Raze was talking about, and frankly she didn't care. She'd caught a glimpse of Santana as she'd turned to put Artie in the chair, and it had nearly killed her. It wasn't just the fear that made her heart plummet. It was the fear for her. The knowledge that Santana was probably more afraid for Brittany than she was for herself. It made the ache in her stomach turn dark and heavy. She was angry at Raze now. Furious. She couldn't take another moment of it.

"Sorry. No can do, Pierce. If they're with you, they're the enemy. They have to be destroyed. And they will be. But, first, I'm going to kill you." They paused for a beat. "And I'm going to make her watch."

Raze looked pointedly at Santana, and whatever was holding Brittany back snapped in half like a twig. With a roar, she was across the room in less than a blink, and holding onto Raze a millisecond after that.

The room exploded.

Two of the vampires from April's clan started towards the group of humans, but Mike and Puck slammed into them, tangling them up before they could make a move. Sugar reached out her hands and the faint glow strengthened by the second. Quinn managed to maneuver their small group to a corner away from most of the fighting, and was doing her best to keep them out of harm's way, though there was no telling how long Brittany, and the others could hold them off. Brittany and Raze were wrestling on the floor, Brittany landing some punches, with Raze giving almost as good as they got. The rolled over, switching positions, and with Brittany on top.

"I'm going to end this once and for all, Pierce." Raze wheezed, doing their best to block the punches that were landing hard and fast.

Brittany didn't reply, but just barely grunted with the effort. She could barely hear the chaos in the the room. Sugar's faint squeaks as she tried to point her flames in the right direction, Puck and Mike's shouts as a grappled with the enemies they kept pulling to the floor, even Quinn's voice in her head from across the room was muted and dulled. All she could see was the fear in Santana's eyes. All she could feel was the touch of Santana's hand on her shoulder. All she could smell was the faint tinge of sweat that she'd smelled when she'd pushed her nose into Santana's scalp. All she could taste was the cherry lip balm that had still lingered on Santana's lips when she'd kissed her. All she could hear was Santana's voice, saying her name over and over and over.

She was pounding down onto Raze with a ferocity that she hadn't known in a long time, maybe only once before. No one was going to take Santana from her. No one was going to take her happiness. No one was going to take her love. She rained down blows on Raze, who'd stopped blocking them with any accuracy a few moments prior.

Suddenly, a body crashed into her back, and wrapped around her, grasping at her arms. The voice that she couldn't stop hearing in her mind was in her ear, whispering.

"Brittany. Baby, please. Come back to me."

And just like that, the spell was over. Reality came back to Brittany in a flash, and she felt sick to her stomach. Raze was beneath her, a mess of blood and bone, and though the others were still tangling (and one particularly unlucky fellow was running around and on fire), most of them had stopped to watch the brutality that Brittany had mete out.

She stood up quickly, looking at her hands that were a mix of Raze's blood, and her own which had seeped out from cracked knuckles. She looked in Santana's eyes, and saw that same fear, but a little, a touch, a microscopic amount, was aimed at her. And she felt a crack in her heart.

"Santana-" She started.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Brittany and Santana turned towards the voice, and everyone stopped, hands raised mid punch, teeth grinding in mid bite. The voice was shrill, but somehow, surprisingly, booming at the same time. It was April Rhodes. The one person in the city that scared Brittany more than Sue. She reflexively put her body in front of Santana, placing one hand across her waist. She cringed as Santana moved a little away from the touch, but turned her full attention back to April, who'd advanced quickly on them.

"We just wanted out of here, April, but Raze wouldn't listen. They-"

April bypassed them entirely and knelt on the floor where Raze still lay, whimpering softly. She brushed a few dark locks from over their eyes.

"Oh, you poor, dumb thing. I ought to skin you alive for this, but I think Brittany's taught you enough lessons for today."

She looked around, slowly, surveying the carnage. "Walsh, Gary-" She looked at two of the men who were laying half on top of Puck and Mike. "Get Raze to the feeding room."

When they hesitated, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Now."

Without another wasted moment, they were on their feet, and picking Raze up, one by the shoulders, another by the feet, and carrying them towards another door.

"Connie and Sav, help Connor. At least put him out for god's sake." The two women that April spoke two turned to chase after Connor, who was still slightly aflame, but who's screaming had gotten much quieter.

"Finn, untie those two." She pointed to Puck and Mike who looked up in surprise.

Finally, she turned to Brittany, taking a few steps forward with purpose, and then deciding against it, and crossing her arms instead.

"I leave for an hour, and this is what you all get into."

"April, let me explain."

"No explanation necessary, Brittany. I know exactly who you are, and while I don't know exactly what you want, I also don't want an all out war with Sue. If we can avoid it. Maybe she'll listen to reason. Which is what I was going to do until I got a call from Lauren telling me that I should probably mosey on back over here."

"April-"

"You're done talking now, Pierce. Nod once so I know you understand."

Brittany nodded smartly.

"Good. Now, you're going to take your friends, you're going to go back to the garage, get in that hideous van, and you're going to leave here and never come back. After this moment, all bets are off, we've been pushing because we had to, and the fight isn't over. But I'm not going to slaughter you like a bunch of sheep. If we see you on the street, that's a different story. Take your girlfriend, take your friends and go. Before I change my mind."

Brittany didn't wait to make another explanation. She waved the group over, and towards the elevator. She could feel the eyes of the room on her back, but she didn't stop.

"Oh, and Brittany?"

Brittany finally turned, looking April in the eye.

"You may not know it, but you owe Sue a lot less than you think. Ask her about the night your family died. See if she tells you the truth. And ask her about what she really wants from this relic. You're a smart girl, you'll figure it out. And I know you'll want to stop her as much as we do."

Brittany ushered the group into the elevator, and watched April quietly as the doors slid closed.

\

They had all piled in Artie's van, and sullenly driven out of the parking garage. The stopped a few blocks away and Puck, Mike and Sugar had taken Quinn's car and gone back to the house. Will said his goodbyes and quietly made his way to the subway station. Quinn and Rachel said they'd take a taxi back to Rachel's place, Quinn claiming that she was only going make sure that Rachel got in okay. Her silent glare didn't leave room for questions, but they were all too exhausted to really ask any.

Artie dropped Jane off near her house, and when Santana got out of the van, saying she'd walk the rest of the way to stretch her legs, Brittany followed quickly. They waved as Artie pulled away, and again to Jane as she turned and headed up the road. Santana watched her walk away for a few more moments without saying a word, and turned to Brittany quickly, making her lean back slightly.

Brittany hadn't said much since leaving the house, but she hadn't had to. Granted, Santana had seen that violent side of Brittany before, but never like this. Of course it had scared her, if only a little. It wasn't that she was afraid of Brittany, but she had been cool and calm until Raze turned their attention to Santana. Then all hell had broken loose. She didn't want to be the reason that Brittany saw red.

She put her hand on Brittany's arm to steady herself, and took a deep breath.

"Santana-"

"Brittany, I want you to turn me."

It was more of a demand than a request, and Brittany shrunk back even more.

When she didn't answer, Santana spoke up again. "I can't stand that feeling of being so helpless. Being in that room, the lights flickering on and off. My stupid head doing that thing where it can't figure out a fucking thing except that the room is dark and getting smaller by the second. I want to be able to protect myself, Brittany. I think you would want that much for me."

Brittany gripped her upper arms and stared hard at her. There was a fire in her eyes that hadn't been there before. It wasn't a dark one like with Raze, or the one that she usually had when she was making Santana moan in unexpected ways, this was brighter, angrier.

"I don't want you to ever do something like that again." She said through gritted teeth.

Santana cocked her head to the side. "I didn't ask for another set of rules, Brittany."

"No, but you're going to get it. When you- care about someone the way that I care about you, you get to make a few rules. This isn't some game, Santana. They would have killed you. They would have killed Artie and Jane and Will. They would have killed Rachel, Santana. They would have killed you all and not thought twice about it."

Santana opened her mouth to respond, but Brittany didn't let her start.

"I'm so furious with you, that I can't even stand it. But I know that I care about you, and it's driving me mad. Do you know what I put my friends through for you? Do you know that I asked Sugar and Puck and Mike and Quinn to die for you tonight? Because it could have easily ended that way. All because you couldn't just do your show, and stay at home for one night."

"Are you serious, Brittany?" Santana said, incredulous. "You expect me to turn my whole life around because now you're in it? Chasing after something that April thinks is going to kill half the vampires?"

Brittany blanched, but didn't respond right away. Santana hoped she was giving her something to think about.

"This isn't some crop circle in the middle of Nevada, San. These are real people who will really end your life. I can't, I won't spend another second trying to convince you to stay away from them. You need to be out of this. It isn't your fight."

"It's my fight because you're in it!" Santana yelled, yanking her arms out of Brittany's grasp. "I-I care about you too, and I'm going to do what I can to help. And I won't let even you stop me."

"So, you're going to keep asking me to turn you?"

"I'll keep asking until you do it."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll keep asking."

Brittany bit her lip in frustration, and shoved her hands through her hair.

"You don't understand, Santana."

"Then give me something to go on."

"This life, it's not right, it's not clean. I don't want this for you."

"You should know that that's something that I have to decide for myself."

"I won't let you make the wrong decision."

"I'm a grown woman, Brittany!" She yelled, not caring that she was probably waking up half the neighborhood at this late hour. She took a breath, and stared at Brittany hard. "I'm a grown woman, and I've been through more shit than you think, and I know what I want, and I know why I want it."

Brittany dug a shoe into the ground, and looked down. "I won't do it, Santana. No matter how many times you ask me. I won't do it."

"So, you're telling me you know what's better for me than I do?"

"I'm telling you that I live this life and it's not a life you want to live."

"I can't believe you right now."

"And I can't believe you. You put your life in danger, San, and for what? You think that this ends with April? In addition to causing yourself some unnecessary drama, you just made life harder for everyone in our clan. April is going to come for us even harder than before. Everyone is going to pay for your recklessness."

Brittany's voice was rising again, and Santana couldn't stand it.

"That's all you care about? Life getting more difficult for you?"

"Of course not, Santana-"

"You treat me like a child, Brittany. You treat me like an idiot who's lost my way, and you have to guide me home. I'm not going to be treated like that. Not by someone who claims to care for me. I won't go back to playing a victim while people who claim to love me treat me like an invalid. I can't and I won't."

Santana stormed to the curb, and stuck out a hand as a taxi drove by. It stopped and she opened the door.

"Let me know when you're going to start thinking clearly, Brittany."

She didn't wait for a response, and got in, slamming the door. She gave the driver the address, and tried not to look back as they drove away.


	14. The Thing About Flashbacks

Thanks for reading! Ignore the typos, or don't and volunteer to be my beta! :/ Follow me on Tumblr for randomness and art. Oh and lots and lots of Brittana, of course. g0dblessthefandom on Tumblr.

* * *

 _Santana knew where her mother liked to hang out. She had just started running when she'd left the Jones' house, bursting out the back door and into the night. She hadn't known where she was going, just that the tears were stinging her eyes were making it hard for her to see. But her legs had known what her heart had wanted more than her brain had, and after about ten minutes of sprinting aimlessly, and then jogging, she'd recognized the neighborhood. It was the place that one of her dates had pointed out to her once, suggesting that he had seen her mother there more than once. It was that dark period in her life when she was still pretending to be someone she wasn't. Mostly because she was sure that it would have killed her father if she had told him that she was a lesbian. The boy had been so proud of himself, letting Santana know that he knew where her mother was sometimes to be found. She had been so disgusted at him that when he tried to kiss her before dropping her off, she'd kicked him so hard in the balls that he avoided her until graduation._

 _It was more than dark when she arrived, and the sparse streetlights that hung above did little to dispel the gloom. In fact, they managed to make things spookier than if the street had just been illuminated by moonlight. There were a few run down houses, mostly inhabited by people who were high on more than life. They were crappy little shacks that were pretty much just four walls supporting a roof. She wrapped her arms around her body, and wished she'd brought a jacket. The air wasn't so chilly, but Santana felt a shiver go down her spine regardless. She saw a shadow cross a few feet ahead, and stopped dead in her tracks._

 _"Is anybody there?" She called out, in a voice that was little more than a whisper._

 _Hearing her own voice echo back at her, she walked a bit further down the street until she saw the house that the boy had pointed out to her. It was a bit different than the rest. Instead of a run down, dilapidated hovel, this was more of a victorian mansion. Like, one of those houses that you'd see in a southern gothic novel. It was still run down, but it was also carefully maintained, so that things were a little worn, but not ravaged._

 _It was two stories, that she could see, with dark shutters that bracketed every window. Every second landing on the house revealed a new treasure. From the designs cut in wood that hung over the front door, to the wrought iron trellis that wrapped around the yard. There was some part of it that was distinctly beautiful to Santana, and she knew why her mother was drawn to it._

 _Santana stood on the curb for a few moments, breathing deeply. There was a faint tangy smell to the air that she couldn't immediately place, but she shook it off, and put her hand on the gate of the fence, opening it with a creak. She hesitated, lifting up one foot to cross the threshold, and then withdrawing it slowly. The debate that was raging in her mind showed no signs of letting up, so she shifted slightly from foot to foot. The desperation that she had been feeling so fully only a few moments before being replaced with a kind of slow caution._

 _"Never seen you before." Said a feline voice behind her._

 _Santana whipped around, backing up against the gate, and coming face to face with the owner of the voice. He was young, older than her, but still a teenager. He was tall, his skin a cypress brown, and his eyes staring daggers into her own. Even with the inspection, Santana felt both parts piece of meat, and the most desired object in the universe. She had never been looked at by a man like that before, and had never wanted to. Until now._

 _"I-I'm looking for someone."_

 _"Who?" He asked, matter of factly._

 _"My mom."_

 _"Why?"_

 _Santana found herself getting lost in his eyes, which were a fascinating obsidian, and without thinking much more about it, she answered._

 _"My dad. My dad is dead. I need her to come home."_

 _"What's her name?"_

 _The strange compulsion to answer struck her again, and she answered quickly._

 _"Julieta Lopez."_

 _The young man laughed. "I knew you looked familiar. Julieta, huh? She's passed her good looks over to her daughter, it would seem." He gestured towards the house. "Come with me, and I'll show you where she is."_

 _Santana might have thought back on this moment and wonder why she wasn't more suspicious of this man and why he was so willing to help her and why she was so willing to follow his instructions, but at the time it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to follow a complete stranger into a house that she'd never been in before, so she didn't question it further. She followed._

 _"I'm Sebastian, by the way." He said, smiling._

 _"Santana."_

 _She hadn't taken comfort in that smile, only feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. If there was a situation where she should take caution, it would be now. But they were only a few blocks from Lima Heights. That was where her abuela still lived and where she felt more than comfortable. She wouldn't let her fear get in her way now._

 _Sebastian led her up to the house, pushed open the door and with one hand on the knob, turned again and looked closely at her._

 _"Come in."_

 _Santana didn't waste another moment, and stepped over the threshold._

 _The room was dark. Not just without light, but there seemed to be a gloom that hung over it. She could make out vague shapes out the corner of her eye, but nothing concrete. There was smell in the air that helped add to the oppressive atmosphere. Santana couldn't readily place it but it made her want to cover her nose and mouth, to help keep some of it out. It was just shy of rancid and reminded her of a piece of meat that had sat in the sun for too long._

 _Her eyes started to adjust to the lack of light, and the shapes became a little more solid and she could see an old couch sitting across from the door. There was another person sitting on the couch, though she could barely see them, and they seemed to perk up as she walked in._

 _"What have you go here, C-bass? Another toy?"_

 _Sebastian closed the door behind them, and with a steady hand on the small of Santana's back, led them further into the room._

 _"You won't believe this, Griffin. She was outside wandering around, looking as lost as the day is long."_

 _Griffin stood up, and approached them. As he got closer Santana could make out more of his features. He wasn't as young as she and Sebastian, he even had some grey around his temples. His sharp eyes were heavy under thick eyebrows, and a salt and pepper beard. They might have been blonde many years ago, but the color had long since faded._

 _Santana shivered as he looked her up and down._

 _"Rather young, isn't she?" Griffin said, his eyebrow quirking slightly._

 _"Maybe 13 or 14? Not too young."_

 _Santana frowned. This wasn't going the way she planned it. She was in a strange place with two men that she didn't know from Adam, and if her mother was here, she wasn't really sure what she'd be doing with guys like Griffin and Sebastian-_

 _Her thoughts were cut off when Griffin held out his hand for her to shake._

 _"Nice to meet you. Griffin O'Leary, at your service."_

 _Santana took his hand gently, not really knowing what to do. She felt like she she should be nervous, but Sebastian's hand on her back anchored her, and she felt her worry slip away._

 _"Santana. Santana Lopez."_

 _"Lopez?" Griffin quirked his eyebrow again, and looked at Sebastian. "As in-"_

 _"One in the same. She's actually here looking for the fair Julieta. So, I thought we could arrange a meeting."_

 _Griffin laughed mirthlessly. "Seems a little cruel, doesn't it?"_

 _"Well, I do love a good family reunion."_

 _There was something in this conversation that she was missing. Something very important, but Santana just shook it off. If they knew where her mother was, that's all that mattered. She had to get to her. Now more than ever. She had to._

 _She turned and faced Sebastian with a firm glare._

 _"Can you just take me to her, please? I need to see her as soon as possible."_

 _Sebastian smiled and extended a hand deeper into the house. "Right this way."_

 _She gave one last look to Griffin who regarded her with something akin to pity, and walked in the direction that Sebastian had pointed. He was still close behind her, and she could hear his footsteps, muffled by a hideous and disgusting carpet. It seemed strange to Santana that the house was so large, and yet it seemed that there wasn't another soul in the place. Such a big house for Sebastian and Griffin. It must get lonely._

 _They passed through another doorway, and down another hall, walking further and further until Santana was convinced that she was in some sort of funhouse maze. She had seen this place from the outside. It hadn't been that big. And yet here they were, taking a left and a right and another left, until Santana was so mixed up that she wasn't exactly sure which direction she'd even come from._

 _Finally, the hallway dead ended, and they came face to face with a closed door. Sebastian stepped in beside her, leaning against the wall like he didn't have a care in the world. The wolf like grin had yet to leave his face, and though a part of Santana should be scared, the moment she looked into his eyes, she felt completely at peace._

 _Sebastian nodded towards the door. "She's down there."_

 _"W-what-" Santana hesitated as she focused back on the door. "What is she doing down there?"_

 _"Waiting on you, it would seem. I'll leave you two to make your salutations."_

 _With that he opened the door, and shoved Santana inside. She found herself at the top of a tall staircase, and heard the lock slide firmly into place behind her. Hearing the door closed, and getting out from under Sebastian's hard stare was like flipping a light on in her head. The fear and dread that had been kept at bay in her mind, washed over her. It was like the pit of her stomach dropped out. She could hear Sebastian laughing a little as he strode back down the hallway._

 _"What were you thinking, Lopez?!" She muttered to herself._

 _She'd never been that stupid before, and never let anyone get in her head like that before. And now she was locked in this house and had no way of contacting anyone. She kicked herself for running out before she grabbed her cellphone. If the Joneses were looking for her, the last place they'd come is some crack house on the south side of Lima Heights._

 _Her dad would have found her if…_

 _She couldn't even finish the thought. Hot tears sprang up in her eyes almost immediately, and she pushed a clenched fist to muffle her sobs. She crumpled down onto the step, and waited for the quiet, shuddering breaths to stop._

 _The fight nearly all out of her, she sat there a bit longer, staring into the darkness below when she heard a faint gasp. She had nothing left to lose. Her father was dead. Her mother was who knows where, and now it was only a matter of time before Griffin and that creep Sebastian decided what they wanted to do with her. She bit the inside of her cheek. This was not a time for cowardice, and Santana Lopez was nothing if not brave._

 _She took a few tentative steps down the staircase, and was relieved when it barely squeaked under her weight. On the stairs it was even darker than the living room, but there seemed to be a window, and with the moonlight streaming through, Santana found that the further down she went, the brighter the room became. She was about halfway down when the step she landed on let out a massive creak. Santana froze where she stood, and listened as a light groan emanated from the corner of the basement. Looking closely, she could make out a small bed, on top of which was an even smaller form. She wasn't worried when she saw it. It seemed more likely to be a prisoner, like her, than someone who would try to hurt her._

 _She took another step, being careful about how her foot landed just in case. She made it down the rest of the steps with no more incidents, and took a small step towards the bed and the figure lying down._

 _"Hello?"_

 _The figure seemed to grow rigid, and slowly, ever so slowly, turned towards her._

 _"Santana?"_

 _"Mami?"_

\

Brittany paced around Quinn's room like a dog pacing an animal pen. She was furious. Not with Santana or at Santana, but Santana was the cause of the anger that was swelling in her chest. Sure, maybe she had said some things that she'd take back if she could, but she knew that she'd made the right decision. She wouldn't turn Santana, no matter how many times she was asked. End of story. It may not be the most popular decision, but she couldn't go back. She wished Santana could see what she could see. There wasn't a situation where Santana had done the cowardly thing. Foolishly, yes. Short sightedly, definitely. But never cowardly. She was so much more brave than she ever gave herself credit for. She didn't need this curse to find her strength. She already had all the strength she needed and more.

So what she was a little afraid of the dark? It had never stopped her from standing up and doing what needed to be done. And no, she didn't want to be the one who ordered Santana around, but Brittany knew better. At least in this case. She didn't claim to know everything that was right for Santana, but all she wanted to do was to keep her safe, and there was nothing wrong with that?

Brittany sat down on the chair with a sigh. Maybe she was treating her too much like a child. If it wasn't for Santana, she and Quinn probably would have died in that opera house. Or if not the opera house, somewhere else. April had practically told them that she'd do whatever it took to stop them from completing the ritual.

And that was an entirely different puzzle. April seemed to think that carrying out the ritual would kill off half the vampires? It was impossible, of course. She imagined that April thought it would hurt someone with the Ameni bloodline. But no matter how goal oriented Sue got, she would never sacrifice half of the clan just to make herself more powerful, would she?

Brittany smacked her forehead. Of course she would. That's exactly the kind of thing that Sue would do. She stood up from the couch, and made to leave Quinn's quarters when the door swung open, and she almost collided with Quinn who looked to be in a bit of rush herself.

"Where have you been!?" Brittany almost shouted.

Quinn gave her a rather suspicious look, and walked over to her desk.

"I was still at Rachel's. She needed more time to settle down, and I did too. What are you so jumpy about?"

"Everything! Mostly almost dying, almost killing Raze, Santana and I got into a fight, all that stuff April was saying-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Quinn pulled a decanter of one of her vintage scotches from under her desk. "You and Santana had a fight? That's the first time that's happened."

Brittany sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Not the point, Q."

"What did you two fight about?"

"She-she wants me to turn her. I won't do it."

"Why not?"

Brittany stared hard at Quinn who met her eye with a strange look.

"Why not?! Are you kidding me right now, Quinn? Tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not kidding, Britt. You've got this campaign against being a vampire, not drinking blood, flower child like one of the romantics, and things are going crazy out here. Vampires, us, need I remind you, are getting killed. Slaughtered. And you're worried about whether or not the turn your girlfriend? Let her have it, who cares?"

Brittany is on Quinn in a flash, holding her up by the lapel of her shirt, and pressing her hard against a bookcase. Both of them seem surprised, but Quinn recovers first.

"What are you going to do? Punch me until I see your side? Like you did with Raze?"

It was a low blow, and they both knew it. Brittany generally hates violence. Always had. But something about the helplessness of the situation… All of the questions rolling around in her head… They made her feel a little crazy.

Brittany let Quinn go, and took a step back.

"I don't want to her to become like me."

Quinn tsked softly, and wrapped her arms around Brittany. "What's so wrong with you, Brittany?"

Brittany softened into the embrace, and tried not to think about how angry she'd been at her oldest friend only a few moments prior.

"Do you remember? The night I turned, Quinn?"

Brittany couldn't catch Quinn's expression, but felt her arms slip away as she moved back to her desk, and reached for her glass again.

"I've told you a million times, Britt. I wasn't there. Sue made me stay behind. All I know is what you told me about it."

"I can still hear their screams, Quinn. As clear as day. I can't remember everything. I've tried as much as I can. But, I can remember the screams, and the blood. How could I do that to my whole family? How could I destroy everyone I've ever loved? My parents, my sisters… I'm a monster, and Santana deserves better than to become like me. If it were up to me she wouldn't ever know about this life."

Quinn walked back over to Brittany, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Okay, Brittany. Okay."

They sat for a moment like that. Quinn rubbing Brittany's arm slowly as she sipped her scotch. Brittany felt her head stuck in the haze of the past, and she shook it a few times to try and get rid of the cobwebs.

"What about the relic?"

"What about it? About how it's going to make us more powerful than we ever imagined?" Quinn said.

Brittany shook her head. "As if that matters."

"Brittany, you were there. At April's. All I could do was stand there and watch while you, Sugar, Puck and Mike did all the heavy lifting. I was useless."

"Of course you weren't-"

"Don't say it, Britt, okay? You know that besides my trump card, which I can only break out on those rare, rare occasions, I might as well be a human for all the good I do. My blood is too diluted. I have more bugs than actual useful abilities. This could be the thing that makes me pure! I'll be able to do whatever I want once the ceremony is complete. I could even tell Sue about Rachel…"

"You don't need to be more powerful for that, Quinn."

"Says you."

"Anyway, what I really meant was what April said, about the relic killing off half of us. Do you think she means the Ameni line vs. Sue's Meti?"

Quinn scoffed. "Britt, if you believe anything that came out of April's mouth, you might be a little touched in the head. She was drunk half the time anyway, and half drunk the other half."

"It's not out of the question, Q. A power like that has to require a great sacrifice. It would be exactly the kind of thing Sue would do, so she could finally have the power she thinks she 'deserves'."

"And what? Kill you? Mike? Puck? All of you have Ameni blood. She'd be more likely to kill Sugar before she'd lose any of you."

"But she'd be willing to sacrifice all of us if it made her more powerful."

"No." Quinn's voice was firm. "Look, you've been around as long as I have, Brittany. You know that Sue is determined, she's ruthless, she's tough. But she's not evil. April wants the relic so she can use it's power, but she's too late. Sue beat her to the punch. Sounds like sour grapes to me."

"What if she's not? We know April, Quinn. She know that she's way more level headed than Sue. This world is big enough for more than one clan. If Sue takes this power, then April will go somewhere else. She'll migrate like we all have had to at one time or another. She'll go to the West Coast, or Canada, or anywhere, and she won't waste time trying to wrestle the power back from Sue. You said it yourself before, if April is doing this, she must feel like she has no other choice."

Quinn shook her head. "So, you're saying that Sue is going to kill you, just so she can make use of this power?"

"I'm saying that it's possible, and we have to find out before we support it any further."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

Brittany turned towards the door with purpose. "Simple. We go ask her. You come with me, and you can tell me if she's lying."

Quinn reached for Brittany's arm, catching her before she went too far. "Hold up there. There are two things wrong with your plan. The first is that, you know how things are with me and Sue. I might be able to tell if she's lying, and that's a strong might. She's gotten better at letting me see only what she wants me to see. And the second thing is that as soon as the question is out of your mouth, Sue will more likely kill us than answer it. Or get Becky to kill us. Either way, it doesn't end well."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "So, what do you suggest that we do?"

"We wait. We watch. I'll give you the book that has the information about the relic inside, and you can try to find more information about it. Also, you focus on finding the blood. If we find it first, we'll know that Sue can't do the ritual until we know for sure that everyone is safe."

"And if we don't find it first?"

"Then we start cracking skulls until somebody gives it to us."

"I like the way you think. But, how am I supposed to find anything in that stupid book? You know me, Quinn, I can barely solve the crossword puzzle. This is going to be some next level stuff."

"Well, luckily, you happen to know a certain plucky paranormal investigator, and this is right up her alley."

Brittany sighed. "I don't think she'll be particularly happy to hear from me."

"No? Well, I have always found you to be very persuasive."

"What do I say, Quinn? _I'm sorry that I denied you the one thing you want, but I kind of killed my family one time, and now I have issues about turning people?_ "

"Well, it's a start." Quinn set down her tumbler. "Hanging out with Rachel has given me some perspective on the way that these humans work. I've never cared about a human the way I care about her, and though I have a feeling we're a little less hot and heavy than you and Santana, I like to think that I can say with a fair amount of certainty that she wants to forgive you. Or at least, she wants to make up with you. She just needs the right inspiration. Santana loves mysteries better than roses, I'd wager. Show up with one in your hands, kiss her silly, and all will be forgiven. That's not to say that she'll stop asking you to turn her, but it's a start. The rest will come in time."

"You think so?"

Quinn nodded. "And tell her, you know, everything. About your family. If that's what you want to do. I have a feeling it will make her understand your side a little bit more."

"Maybe. It's a bit much. I only told her they died in a fire. I didn't say that their bodies were burned after I'd already drained the blood out of them. What if she finally sees what I see? What if she thinks I'm a monster?"

"You can always say as much or as little as you want. You don't have to tell her everything, but hearing things from your point of view might make her understand a bit better."

"Yeah." Brittany said, resigned. "I'll have to consider it. If nothing else works…"

"I'm sure you'll be back to being disgustingly cute before too long."

They both laughed at that.

"Can you imagine, a vampire who would give anything to be human again, and a human that just wants to be a vampire? Falling in love with one another."

Brittany blushed. "I never said anything about love."

"Sure, Pierce. I guess that slip of the tongue earlier tonight was just some sort of illusion."

Brittany rolled her eyes.

"If it's any consolation, Rachel seems to think that Santana loves you, too."

Brittany's heart jumped at that, and she smiled brightly. "Really? She said that?"

"Yeah. She told me, 'I don't believe I've ever seen Santana in a more jovial mood, and I think it's got everything to do with your friend, Brittany.' Then talked a little more about the time when Santana had thought it would be funny to throw a thirty-two ounce slushie in her face when she was wearing a white cashmere sweater."

"I swear, that Rachel takes seventy five words to say something that ten words would say."

"Watch it, Pierce." Quinn's tone was playful, but with an edge.

"Sorry, sorry. I know the soft spot you've got for her."

"Well, we're bonded so…"

"No need to explain it to me, I'll lay off."

They stood quietly for another moment before Quinn spoke again.

"Y-you should ask her, Brittany. About her mom, and her family and everything. About why she's afraid of the dark. Why she moved in with Mercedes. I saw some things, in Rachel's mind. We didn't talk about them, because they're Santana's to tell or not tell, but… But I think she might have a reason for why she feels the way she does. And I think you should hear it from her."

Brittany nodded once, and turned to Quinn, hugging her quickly.

"Thanks, Q. I love you. Like, a lot."

Quinn returned the hug, something that Brittany knew was a rare occurrence. "Me too. Like, a lot. Now let's go get that book and get you reaquainted with a certain adventurous Latina."

Brittany grabbed Quinn's hand as she lead them out the room, and down the hall.

\

The next day, Santana had spent some time over at Artie's, trying to finish up the planning with Jane that they had aborted the night before. Rachel hadn't shown, but a text from her (actually five consecutive texts) showed that she was "otherwise indisposed and had the utmost confidence in the team to plan a week's worth of shows accordingly'. Santana had just said to tell Quinn hi for her, and that shut Rachel up pretty quickly. After that they had discussed what they were going to do about the blood. If it was really going to kill half the vampires, then it was probably best that April had it. Though, there was no guarantee that she did, and honestly by that point they agreed it was probably best if they stayed away from April's compound. She had given them one get out of jail free card. They probably wouldn't get another. But they disagreed on the next steps to take.

The warning from Brittany still rung in her head. Maybe she had been right. Maybe Santana was biting off more than she could chew. But, meeting Brittany and finding out who and what she was flipped so many switches on in Santana's head. There was something on the fringe of her subconscious and she just needed to remember. Once she did, then all the pieces would fall into place. And Brittany was the only person who could do it.

She opened the door and throwing her keys on the counter, slammed it shut.

"I'm home."

Santana knew she sounded tired, because she was tired, but she hoped that the exhaustion in her voice would mask the feelings still racing through her after the drama at April's and the sadness about her fight with Brittany the day before. She grabbed a stack of mail sifting through it to give her hands something to do and walked into the living room.

Mercedes and Sam were sitting on the floor in front of the couch surrounded by what had to be hundreds of fabric swatches and color palettes. They were sitting so closely that Mercedes was practically in his lap and they were giggling maniacally.

Santana gingerly stepped over several stacks and plopped down on the couch. She turned towards the television without a word and suddenly became very interested in one of those home renovation shows that was always on HGTV.

"What's all this?" She asked, gesturing towards one of the piles without bothering to look.

The laughter stopped immediately, and Mercedes shifted towards Santana, gathering up some of the piles.

"We're deciding on a color scheme for the wedding. Something bright, you know, cause it's going to be in the spring, and everything…"

Sam stood up, grabbing handfuls of the papers, and kissed Mercedes on the cheek. "I'm going to get these out of the way, hon."

"Thanks babe." Mercedes walked over to where Santana was sitting, and grabbed a few samples from near her feet. "How was the planning meeting? Did you get into it with Rachel again?"

Santana laughed shortly. "That's every week, Cedes. But Rachel wasn't there today. She was out with Quinn."

"Ah." Mercedes gave a soft smile. "Then what's wrong?"

"Why does something have to be wrong? I just want to enjoy some HGTV and have some peace. Nothing wrong with that."

"Santana-" Mercedes sat on the ottoman beside the chair. "You hate HGTV. You once told me that you would rather, and I quote, 'get a hot sauce enema than watch another show where they do a renovation or some ugly dude complains about the color of a bathroom in a house he wants to buy.'"

Santana shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's oddly soothing, what can I say?"

"So, nothing's wrong?"

"Nope."

"No issues with the show, or Artie or Rachel or Jane?"

"Nope, all peachy keen."

"What if I told you that Brittany came by earlier?"

Santana was on the edge of her seat in a second, gripping Mercedes' arms. "She did?! When? Why didn't you tell when when I came in? I have to call her. No, I can't call her. She can call me. Did she say that she wants me to call her?"

Mercedes looked guiltily away. "I said, 'what if I told you', I didn't say that she did."

With that Santana deflated and sat back in the chair, giving Mercedes a stern look. "I hate you."

"So, you had a fight with Brittany."

"Mercedes-"

"I know, I know, you don't want to talk about it. But guess what, we're talking about it, otherwise you're going to spend all week moping around the house like a lovesick idiot. Then you're going to start picking on Sam, and have him walking on eggshells, and I'm going to have to spend more time buttering him up, and though I love my man, I don't want to have to be picking up the pieces. I don't want you bullying him, Santana."

"So you'd rather him be comfortable than me not have to do something I don't want to?"

"Oh please, Santana. I'm not asking you to jump in a volcano. I'm asking you to talk about your feelings. These very real feelings that you have for a certain tall, cute blonde. And if you're miserable that means she's miserable, and you two are too cute together for you to be miserable. I love Sam, you know that, and I love you too. The two feelings are completely separate from each other. I'm going to marry Sam, and you're my sister."

Santana sighed. "I'm sorry, 'Cedes. That was a dick thing of me to say, and I shouldn't have."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have, but now that we are talking about feelings. I want to know yours. Do you love her, San?"

Santana's eyes widen, and then narrowed. She looked at Mercedes for a long moment before turning away and back to the TV.

"I dunno."

Mercedes put a hand on her knee. "You do. I think you do know, S. And I think that you do love her."

"We've only known each other for a little while and-"

"Oh please. I've seen you date a girl for six months and still not have the look on your face that you have when Brittany looks at you. You little smitten kitten. When you love someone, you just know. You don't need to think about it."

She gave a wistful look in the direction that Sam had gone off in.

"Is that how it is with you and Sam?" Santana asked.

"Well, yeah, duh. That's why I'm marrying him." Mercedes patted Santana's knee. "The way that I feel about him now is the way I did back in high school, and that's something you know and you feel when you look at them. The way they smile, the way they laugh, the little creases that form around their eyes when they're sad. It's a little hiccup in your heart that shudders when they look at you. It feels like nothing else."

Santana paused for a moment, pulling at a loose thread on the couch. She didn't say anything for a long while, and when she spoke again, her voice was thick and heavy.

"I-I think I love her, Mercedes."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Santana laughed and swatted at Mercedes' arm.

"You don't have to be a know-it-all."

"Anybody could look at the two of you, and see it. She feels the same way about you, San."

"You think?"

"I know it. It's what I've been telling you for years. You're worthy of love. You're worthy of someone loving you the way that you deserved to be loved. And I'm glad she's the one to do it. The whole vampire thing notwithstanding."

Santana couldn't help the awe that washed over her. She was so lucky to have the people she had in her life. Her sister who would kick her ass if need be, her annoying cohost who would literally jump in front of danger for her, her girlfriend, her actual perfect girlfriend who looked at her in a way that made her heart feel as if it was going to burst.

She thought back to their fight earlier. It had seemed like a good idea to push the point then. She was feeling vulnerable, and tensions were high, but there was something she was missing. There must be a reason that Brittany was so adamant that she wouldn't turn her. She had to think more about Brittany's side. She knew that Brittany loved her, and she knew that if she was telling her no for anything there must be a good reason. She wasn't sure if she wouldn't ever agree with her, but she had to try, for both their sakes.

"I may have really screwed things up, 'Cedes."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. I told mom I'd take care of you, and as your older sister, it's kind of my job. Let's figure out how you're going to make this right."

"How?"

"Well, first, you're going to call Brittany, and ask her to come over. You're going to apologize to her for whatever boneheaded thing you said that made her upset with you-"

"It wasn't boneheaded. I just-"

"Then you're going to make up, and get back to stopping Sue, or whatever the thing is that you're so focused on this week."

"Any other instructions, Captain?" Santana gave Mercedes a mock salute.

"If I think of anything, I'll let you know." Mercedes responded, smiling.

"I hate you."

"You love me, and you know it."

Santana rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling a little. "Yeah, whatever."

Mercedes stood up, and finished gathering the samples off the floor, and depositing them on the table.

"I'm going to go get Sam, and tell him the living room is safe again. And you've got a phone call to make."

"Yeah, fine."

Mercedes slipped away, and Santana pulled her phone out of her pocket.

No missed calls or texts, not from Brittany anyway, and that smarted a bit. She didn't like to think of herself as infallible, and she'd even admitted to herself that maybe she'd gotten in a little over her head with the whole April business, but the least Brittany could have done was extended an olive branch. Mercedes' bedroom door opened, and she and Sam came back into the living room. Santana took that as her cue, and went to her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

She sighed as she flopped down on the bed. She had to admit, Mercedes had a good point. Well, half a good point, anyway. It was clear that Brittany was dead set against turning her, and Santana pushing the issue only made things more tense between them, and she certainly didn't want that. Brittany must have had a reason for acting the way that she did, but so did Santana. She thought back to that night so many years ago, a night that was still clouded in the mystery of her mind and shuddered. She knew that they answers were in there somewhere, if only there was a way to unlock them.

Santana pulled the phone up to her face, staring at the home screen. Still not calls or texts. Her fingers scrolled down her call list. Of course there were the requisite hundred plus calls from Rachel, some from Jane, and a few from Artie, but sprinkled in was Brittany's name. Some of the time she would call when she knew Santana had just woken up, or when she'd be getting ready for bed. She would call when she knew that Santana had just finished a meeting for the show, or when she'd mention having a particularly rough day in one of their texts. But most of the time she would call for no reason. Once she spotted a cat will she was cruising on her bike, and had pulled over just to excitedly tell Santana all about it. That was the thing about Brittany, she always knew the way to make her smile. And Santana couldn't stay angry with her. But what was the best way to go about this reconciliation? She closed her eyes, pressing a hand against them.

Almost directly behind her, Santana heard a soft tap on the window. She turned quickly, startled, and the movement threw her off balance, which tipped her off the bed. She hit the ground with a thump. The window slid open, and Brittany was beside her in a flash, cradling her head, and cooing softly at her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She said, sheepishly.

"I wasn't scared, just, um, surprised. What are you doing here?"

Brittany blushed, and looked a little ashamed.

"Sorry, if you want me to go…"

Santana sat up quickly, ignoring the pain coming from her hip, and turning to sit cross legged in front of Brittany, taking her hands and pulling them into her lap.

"No, no, I don't want that. I'm glad to see you."

Brittany brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course." Santana looked down, picking at the carpet. "I was about to call you, actually."

This earned Santana a sly grin. "Were you now?"

"Don't get all cocky." Santana replied, with a grin of her own. "I'm not the one hanging out on fire escapes in the middle of the city."

"Well, I missed you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Brittany said, playing with Santana's fingers.

"So, you've reconsidered? You will turn me?"

Brittany looked up sharply. "I came to tell you why I couldn't. Why I never can. I-it's something in my past. H-how I turned."

Santana scooted closer to Brittany, grasping her hands more tightly.

Brittany cleared her throat and continued. "I wasn't sure if I should tell you. I-it's not good, Santana. It's not-"

"It doesn't matter, Britt. No matter what, I know how I feel about you, okay? You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything."

"You don't know, Santana. You don't understand. I try as hard as I can. I try every day. Even before I met you, and even more now. But, we are… we are monsters. You saw it when I- when I fought with Raze. You saw it when I grabbed Will back at his apartment. The fear in your eyes. You can see what I am."

"You're not a monster, Britt! I know you, I love you. You're the person who always has bread in her backpack to feed the ducks. You're the person who stops her bike and gets off to help little old ladies cross the street. You're the person who will watch black and white romantic movies with me, and hold me and not tell anybody that I've been crying because Bogart doesn't get on that plane. Those aren't things a monster would do."

Brittany's ears were burning as she took in Santana's words. Feeling and hearing from Quinn that Santana loved her was much different than hearing it from Santana herself. She wanted to feel elated, but she couldn't, knowing that in a few minutes, Santana might not be able to forgive her for what she had done in her past. She hadn't even been able to forgive herself.

Brittany simply sighed and shook her head. "I can do all those things, Santana, and be who I am, and still not be right. And I'm not. I-I love you, too. But, this is, this is... "

She didn't finish as Santana leaped across the distance between them, and smothered her with kisses. Santana, too, was happy to hear the words come from Brittany's mouth. Maybe they didn't agree on a very fundamental issue, but none of that mattered. They loved each other. That was worth a lot. She wasn't sure what Brittany wanted to tell her, but Santana wanted this moment to last forever.

Feeling Brittany's lips pressed firmly on her own made the tingling in her stomach start again. She straddled Brittany's stomach, and pressed hard into her mouth, greedily nipping her lips, and sucking gently. A tongue swiped across her bottom lip, and she opened up immediately, using her position to take control of the kiss. She playfully dipped her tongue into Brittany's mouth, twirling it with Brittany's tongue, and at the same time, pressing her hips down with force.

Brittany moaned, and Santana took that as a sign, her hands roaming under Brittany's shirt, and reaching for her bra-

"Wait, wait, San." Brittany gasped, pulling away.

Santana sat back, confused. "What, why? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, of course not. Never." Brittany calmed her, and sat up a bit, pulling her shirt down so it covered her stomach. "I just, I have to tell you this, San. Before we go any further."

Santana could tell that this was important, so she stood up, and sat on the bed, pulling Brittany up to join her.

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

She left Brittany's hands wrapped in her own, and looked deep into her eyes. She hoped that it helped her feel more at ease. Santana had never seen her more nervous. Her eyes darted around the room, and she could feel a faint tremble in her hands. She tried again to comfort her.

"Whatever it is, Britt. Whatever. It doesn't change the person you are now. It won't change how I feel about you."

Brittany gave a dark laugh. "You probably shouldn't make promises like that until you hear what it is."

"I meant what I said earlier, Brittany." Santana pulled Brittany's hands towards her a bit more, to focus her attention. "I do love you, okay?"

Brittany nodded softly, and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"I-I killed my family."

\

 _The first thing she remembers from that night is the blood. It's a tangy, coppery smell that fills every single space in her brain. It's fresh. Very, very fresh, and Brittany doesn't think that she's ever smelled it so fully before._

 _That's not to say that she'd never smelled blood. Her uncle was a butcher, and supplied meat to most of the town. Her father would have gone into the family business, but he was a gentle man who couldn't bear the sounds and sights of the butchery, and left it to his brother. So, her father pursued cobbling, another family tradition, and he was quite good at it. He'd even made a set for the royal family that had put their family in high esteem. Every one from near and far wanted a pair of Sem Pierce's famous shoes. They kept the Pierce's in fine fabrics and in comfortable surroundings, so as a child, Brittany never wanted for anything._

 _She was the oldest of the Pierce girls, and at 19 much older than her younger sisters who were only four and five when… Well, when she'd lost them. She was much older, long past the point where other girls were married off to husband's who didn't care about them. Her mother would sometimes tell her that she'd never find someone to take care of her if she spent all her time playing with her younger sisters, and going through hikes in the woods. But her father would shake off the criticisms with a smile._

 _"That's our Brittany, she's always going to be free."_

 _So, she went through the days, helping her mother with her sisters, and helping her father around the shop. He would give her pocket money, and she would take it into town and buy treats for the girls, sometimes pocketing some and saving them for herself. She was walking along the road that day. That's one of the things she remembers clearly. Their house was set a bit off in the woods, but it was a comfortable walk, worn down from heavy foot traffic of the customers to her father's shop. There was a crisp stillness in the air that only came from cool, fall days, and Brittany relished it, her hands in the pockets of her beautiful red cloak, kicking leaves as they crossed her path. The woods were usually alive with the sound of animals chittering and frolicking, but today they were almost silent. Brittany felt a chill run down her spine, but she ignored it as best she could and quickly walked on._

 _She could see the eaves of her house in the distance. It was a magnificent thing, covered in ivy, with colorful shutters and delicate awnings. She smiled as she approached, the house, and then frowned when she noticed her little sister sitting outside, crouching over a small mound of dirt._

 _"Pim, what are you doing out here? It's cold." Brittany gathered her sister up in her arms, Pim was small for a four year old and Brittany liked to coddle her, holding her to her hip like she'd always done._

 _Brittany nudged her sister's nose with her own, smiling widely again, trying to chase away the frown that was on the little girl's face._

 _"What's wrong, bolleke? What has Sanne done this time?"_

 _The two sisters would often argue, and it was up to Brittany to be the mediator, going back and forth between them, and making them laugh until they felt in better moods. She hoped that was the case now, she hated to see them fight._

 _"It's not that, zusje. There's a lady inside, and I don't like her. I don't want to go back in."_

 _Pim's face screwed up in a grimace, and she made as if she was about to cry. Brittany shushed her quickly. It wasn't like Pim to be afraid of guests. They came around often to commission their father for work, and there were new ones every day._

 _"Hush, Pim. It's just another customer for Papa. If you don't like her, I'm sure she'll leave soon. Let's go inside and I'll give you licorice. I bought it today, and if you're good, you can sit by the stove and eat it."_

 _This seemed to satisfy Pim, and so Brittany carried her inside, careful not to slam the door open or closed as she sometimes found hard not to. She passed by her father's workshop, and could hear her father's gentle voice, and her mother's pleading one, in addition to a new harsh voice that she'd never heard before. That must have been the woman Pim was talking about, and from the sound of things, she wasn't sure if she liked her either. Brittany walked straight to the kitchen, sitting Pim by the stove as promised, and pulling out a few small pieces of licorice and handing them over._

 _"Now, remember. Stay by the fire until I come and get you. I promise I'll wait until the lady leaves."_

 _Pim nodded, sucking the first piece of candy into her mouth, and pulling her small doll out of her dress pocket. She hummed to herself and Brittany smiled. She loved her sisters as much as it was possible to love other people. She stood there, watching a few more minutes, and then walked towards her father's workshop. The voices still seemed to be arguing, and she hung back for a few moments to listen in. She was often around for her father's conversations, he talked about having her take over the business one day, and she should know as much about running a business as she knew about shoemaking. She leaned against the doorway and listened carefully as the conversation continued._

 _"You're a guest in my house."_

 _It was her father's voice, and there was a strain in it that Brittany had never heard before. He was usually a jovial man, laughing readily at some joke, and speaking with pride about his family and his business. But this voice, this sounded like a man trapped in a corner. Brittany didn't like it._

 _"Newsflash, bub. Nobody keeps what I want from me. Period. End of Sentence. I can make this real hard on you."_

 _The woman's voice again. Her Dutch was spoken with a heavy accent, and Brittany couldn't right place it. She'd met plenty of traders who mangled their language, but it was nothing like she'd ever heard before._

 _"We don't respond to threats. I would like you to leave." Her mother's voice now._

 _Brittany swallowed hard. This was the voice that she seldom heard. The one that brokered no argument, and that could get even her stubborn sisters to fall in line without another word._

 _The other voice sighed, and Brittany heard the movement of chairs as they scraped against the wooden floors, and everyone stood up. She moved towards the door, about to open it, when the handle was neatly snatched out of her hand, and she stood face to face with the owner of the hard voice with the strange Dutch._

 _She was tall and blonde, her face full of sharp angles and corners, thin lips and her eyes narrowed sharply when she looked at Brittany. The woman reminded her of her cousin Greta from up north, but while Greta was smiles and softness this woman was like the human equivalent of an ice cold bath. Brittany shivered unconsciously._

 _"Brittany."_

 _The woman almost whispered her name, and the shiver returned, even stronger this time. Brittany opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Her mouth felt dry, and her hands clammy. There was something off about the woman, but Brittany couldn't put her finger on it, if anything she felt muddled and cloudy. She shook her head once to clear it._

 _"I-"_

 _"I asked you to leave."_

 _Her mother's voice came from the room, and a moment later her mother's face appeared. She was staring hard at the woman, and the tall woman didn't waste another moment, heading out the door without a glance back at the Pierces._

 _Brittany watched her go with something akin to astonishment when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders._

 _"Who was that?" She asked without looking back._

 _"No one you need concern yourself with. Go get the girls ready for dinner."_

 _"But Papa-"_

 _"Now, Brittany."_

 _There was a hard edge to her father's voice that forced Brittany back for a second. He had never used that tone of voice with her. She turned quickly, and headed into the kitchen, grabbing Pim, and taking her upstairs to look for Sanne. The rest of the evening was quiet, but Brittany noticed that her parents said almost nothing during dinner, and even the girls were subdued from their normal carefree selves._

 _Afterwards, while Brittany's mother was in the kitchen cleaning up, Brittany took the girls upstairs, changed them into their pajamas, and laid them down in the bed they shared. She smoothed the covers over them carefully, and brushed back long blonde hairs that had freed themselves from their braids. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, humming gently, and watching over the two sleepy girls._

 _Sanne was asleep quietly dozing and Brittany could tell that Pim wasn't far behind when she stood up to go back downstairs and help her mother in the kitchen. As she moved from the bed, she felt a small hand wrap around her wrist._

 _"Zusje, I don't want to see that lady again."_

 _Pim's voice was small and frightened, and though Brittany wanted nothing more than to hold her tightly in her arms, she didn't want to scare her by reacting too much. So, she simply turned, and patted her sister's hand._

 _"Nothing to worry about bollekeja. Mama and Papa aren't going to ever let her come back."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Of course I'm sure." She leaned down and kissed Pim on the forehead. "Now go to sleep, goose. You will be tired in the morning otherwise."_

 _This seemed to settle her, so Pim snuggled down in the covers, turning towards Sanne, and draping a gentle arm over her. Brittany smiled and went back down stairs._

 _Her mother was still in the kitchen. Most of the cleaning had been done, in fact, Brittany had helped with a lot of it before she took the girls upstairs, but her mother still puttered about here and there. It was something that she tended to do when she was nervous. In fact, she stood close to the fire, polishing a spoon that looked as though it had been polished more than enough and staring into the flames._

 _She didn't react when Brittany approached, and only seemed to noticed when Brittany was right at her elbow, and touched her to get her attention._

 _"Brittany!" She shrieked, dropping the spoon with a clatter. "You startled me."_

 _Her mother's eyes were red and puffy._

 _"Sorry, mama." Brittany said, reaching down and picking up the spoon, then handing it back to her mother. "The girls are asleep."_

 _Mrs. Pierce nodded sharply, and looked down at the spoon in her hands. Seemingly satisfied, she laid it in the cabinet, closing the drawer firmly. Brittany watched her mother closely. In addition to looking like she'd just been crying her eyes out, her face had a pinched look and her shoulders were high with tension. She opened and closed her fist slowly, squeezing until the veins popped out of her wrists._

 _Brittany tried again. "Mother, is everything okay?"_

 _She put on her most formal tone, trying not to offend her mother by saying the wrong thing. At Brittany's question Mrs. Pierce leaned hard against the table, sighing deeply. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed again._

 _"I-I'm not sure, Brittany. I'm not sure, but I promise you-" Mrs. Pierce walked over to Brittany, kneeling down at her feet. "I promise you that even if it isn't now, it's going to be."_

 _She took her daughter's hands in her own, holding them so tight that it hurt. Brittany's eyes grew wide, and she looked at her mother with alarm._

 _"What-?"_

 _"Brittany!"_

 _It was her father's voice, calling her from his workshop._

 _"Brittany, come here."_

 _She looked at her mother for a moment longer, and then stood, walking towards the door. She turned back quickly._

 _"Mother-"_

 _"Go, Brittany. Go."_

 _Her mother turned back to the cabinet, and pulled out another spoon that was already more than clean. She began wiping it furiously._

 _"Brittany!"_

 _Her father's voice called again._

 _Brittany went out the door and into her father's mouth dropped open. She had never seen it in such a disarray. Materials were everywhere, and tools were lying about. She didn't bother trying to ask about it. Brittany stood there for a moment until her father noticed her._

 _"Ah, schatje. Come, come here."_

 _Brittany entered the room while her father cleared off his work bench, and sat down there, patting the seat beside him._

 _"Papa, what is it?"_

 _Brittany sat down beside him, clutching her dress in her fists. She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't know what was coming, but she didn't like it. She'd never been more afraid in her life._

 _"Brittany, I have a favor to ask you."_

 _"Of course, Papa. Anything."_

 _Her father grimaced at her words, his eyes becoming shiny with tears._

 _"That's my good girl, Brittany." He put his arm around her shoulder. "I have packed up some things for you, and I need to you do a delivery for me."_

 _"A delivery?"_

 _"Yes, it is very far away. I've packed some money, and your mother packed some food, and you must leave right away."_

 _Her father stood up and walked across the room, pulling out a small satchel._

 _Brittany stood up too, quickly, and without much balance. Her parents were sending her away?_

 _"Right now, papa? Why is this so urgent? Why must I go now? Have I done something wrong, Papa? I promise I will never do it again-"_

 _She was cut off by a swift, strong hug from her father. Brittany was tall, but he was taller, and he tucked her into his body, resting his chin on the crown of her head._

 _"Never, never, never schatje. My treasure. Never. I have never been more proud and happy to call you my daughter, Brittany. But right here, right now is not safe for you."_

 _"Not safe, why?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Brittany, but the less you know the better. All you can know is that you must go where I send you, and after a little while you will return back to us, safe and sound. I will want to hear all about your trip, and your sisters will as well."_

 _"But Papa-"_

 _Her father disengaged himself and looked into her eyes._

 _"Brittany, this is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. But we cannot let her take you. You will be safer far away. And it must happen now. If we wait it might be too late. We love you, Brittany. Your mother and I, and your sisters. We love you so much. We must protect you."_

 _Tears were flowing freely from her father's eyes, and Brittany could feel her own on her cheeks as well._

 _"Trust me, Brittany. Trust me to protect you."_

 _Brittany nodded, and took the bag from her father. When she turned back, her mother was standing in the doorway, gripping a towel that she'd knotted and twisted in her hands. Her mother was crying as well, and rushed over, gathering Brittany in her arms._

 _"Oh Brittany, schatje. It won't be long until you see us again. I promise. I love you so much."_

 _Brittany returned her mother's fierce hug and sniffed a few times. "Can I say goodbye to the girls before I go? I won't wake them, I just want to see them."_

 _Her parents, who were now holding each other for dear life, nodded._

 _"But hurry, Brittany, the carriage will be here any moment."_

 _Brittany took the stairs two at a time, and quietly moved into her room, one that she shared with her sisters. She grabbed the necklace her parents had given her on her last birthday, her journal and a braid of flowers that Pim had given her only a few days before. She then moved to her sisters' bed, gazing down on them lovingly. She pulled the blanket more fully around their shoulders, and kissed them each on their foreheads._

 _"I will see you again, I promise."_

 _Brittany heard the front door open and close downstairs, and giving one last look to her sleeping sisters, left the room, racing down the stairs._

 _"Brittany, come, the carriage is here. I have already paid the driver more than enough to take you out of town. He knows where to go, and you will be safe there. I have given you some money, and your mother has sewn it into your cloak. You're a smart girl, Brittany, but sometimes too good. Don't trust anyone out there on the road. When you get to your destination, you will see your cousin Hendrik. He will take you on. Give him my regards, and thank him for what he is doing."_

 _"How will he know i'm coming?"_

 _"I sent a messenger today, the fastest in the village. He is the only one who will know you are coming, so trust no one but him. Do you understand me, Brittany?"_

 _"Yes, Papa, I understand." Brittany was breathless, and had only been standing there listening to her father's instructions. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she trusted her parents, and she knew they'd want the best for her._

 _Her mother came over and hugged her as well._

 _"Remember what your father said, Brittany. We love you, we'll wait for you to return."_

 _Brittany couldn't look at her mother's face, opting to focus on the small mirror that stood right inside the door of her father's workshop. She had spent hours standing in front of that mirror as a child, trying on her mother's clothes and dresses (and sometimes her father's coat and hats), while her parents laughed at her antics. If only she could go back to that simpler time. Before secret journeys into the night. Before looking into the crying eyes of her parents. Brittany worried the trim of her cloak as her mother wrapped it around her shoulders. Her father put his hand on the small of her back and opened the front door. Brittany could see the driver, already in position on top, smoking a pipe, the smoke from it showing up clearly in the cold, night air. The animal sounds had returned, and Brittany could hear the owls hooting from the trees, and the crickets chirping in the grass. Normally she loved the sounds of the night time, but tonight they filled her with a dread she couldn't describe. She shivered._

 _Her father led her to the carriage, and opened the door, helping her up. He tucked her skirts around her thighs to trap in the warmth, and placed a hand on her knee._

 _"It won't be long, schatje. You'll be back to us very soon."_

 _"Okay, papa. I love you."_

 _"I love you too, Brittany."_

 _The carriage door closed, and Brittany could hear her father speaking in low tones with the carriage driver. She pushed away the small screen that covered the only window and peeked out. Her father walked back to her mother, wrapping his arms around her, and holding her close. They spotted her simultaneously and waved frantically. Brittany could see the sadness on their faces, but she smiled as brightly as she could and waved back. If it weren't for the dread that had settled in her stomach she could have imagined that she was taking a trip. She'd gone on trips with her father before, far and wide all throughout the countryside, though she'd never been alone. If this were another place or another time, even during the day, Brittany would have been overjoyed that her parents were giving her this responsibility of travelling alone. Now all she could think of was the sadness that was in her parent's eyes, and the way her sisters would cry when they realized it might be a long time before they saw her again. She sighed, and settled back into the seat._

 _She must had dozed off because the next thing she remembered was a yell. It wasn't a full drawn out thing, but more like a yelp. Brittany sat up with a start. She sat very still for a moment, and realized that the thing that was missing was the rhythmic clopping of the horses' hooves against the smooth cobblestone of the town streets, and the gentle swaying of the carriage as they rolled._

 _They had stopped._

 _Brittany moved as evenly as she could to the window, and pulled away the cover. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the dark woods staring stoically back at her. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she waited a moment, not moving, not breathing for a long moment, waiting for another sound to tell her what was happening outside the carriage._

 _Hearing nothing, she slowly pushed open the door. She looked around quickly, and saw no one. Brittany froze for a moment from a sound in front of the carriage until she realized that it was one of the horses, shaking itself._

 _She took a careful step down out of the door, and a moment later was on the ground. She looked around. The only light coming from the full moon that was shining brightly down on her. There was also a small lantern hanging to the front of the carriage, that reflected onto the driver and horses._

 _Brittany looked around again. The hairs on the back of her neck and her arms stood on end. Brittany turned an ear towards the woods, and that same deafening silence that she'd heard earlier in the day echoed back at her._

 _She heard shuffling in the woods, it was light and could have been a rabbit or a deer, but she didn't want to wait to find out. She tiptoed quickly to the front of the carriage, tugging on the legs of the driver from where he sat on top. She kept her eyes scanning the woods, afraid that something might burst out of them._

 _She whispered up to him. "Why've we stopped? We have to keep moving. I can hear something-"_

 _Brittany looked up to the driver, yanking her hand away from where it had landed. The driver, or what was left of him, had almost been ripped apart. The blood and gore was everywhere, and Brittany looked down at her hand, and saw that it was covered in it from where she had touched him._

 _She screamed, stepping back quickly. This startled the horses, and they whinnied, taking off down the road._

 _Brittany panicked. The horses were her only way to make it through the woods, and if she lost them... She took off after them, hiking her dress up around her knees. She managed to keep up with them for a few paces, but as she reached out her hand for the carriage, her foot caught the edge of a cobblestone, and she fell, falling hard to the ground._

 _She shook herself, standing up quickly, but the carriage was almost out of sight. Brittany felt her breath hitch in her throat, her last chance quickly disappearing over the horizon. She looked up at the sky, at the bright moon against the star filled heavens. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. She settled for a sob muffled by a fist between her lips._

 _Another sound rose out of the silent woods, and Brittany whipped around to face it._

 _Suddenly, there were arms around her waist, and a warm mouth on her neck. Before she could even cry out, the world went blood red._

 _Brittany woke up slowly._

 _Her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, and her head felt the same. It took her a few moments to get her bearings, and when she finally did, she wasn't sure if she believed her senses._

 _She was sitting in her kitchen. Her parents' kitchen. At the very table she had had dinner at only a few short hours before. Brittany sat up, shaking her head. She looked around carefully. Maybe it had all been a dream, maybe it was all over-_

 _She looked down and saw she was still wearing her travelling cloak, and in the dim light of the dying embers she saw the blood covering her clothes, she gasped, and saw it was on her hands as well. She was covered head to toe._

 _Brittany stood up quickly, knocking the bench over and backing away from the table. She knocked against the table, and the silverware her mother had been furiously polishing feel to the floor, scattered. Suddenly there was a clamour in her ears. Brittany slammed her hands over them, but the loud buzzing wouldn't stop. She fell to her knees, and reached carefully for the silverware, slowly picking up a spoon and laying it on the table. She felt immediate relief as the noise became the smallest bit more quiet in her head. She picked up another one, not minding that she was ruining her mother's hard work with the blood that still covered her hands. She picked up all the cutlery, laying them out on the table, counting them carefully as she placed them down._

 _Once that was done, and stood again. the buzzing was gone, but Brittany somehow had the feeling that the nightmare wasn't over. She walked out of the kitchen, and looked into her father's workshop. It was empty, and still ransacked from earlier. She walked over to his workbench, dipping her fingers in two small puddles of blood that were laying there. It still had the faint hint of warmth in it._

 _Brittany brought her fingers to her face. She looked at the blood. It had shocked her at first, but now there was almost a gentle familiarity to it. The fear that had run rampant in her mind cooled to a faint discomfort. She gazed into the deep red, and surprised herself as she pushed her fingers into her mouth, swirling her tongue around them, and swallowing deeply._

 _As she stood there, savoring the taste, Brittany looked into the mirror that she'd looked into a few hours before, a seemingly short amount of time that seemed like a lifetime ago. Her clothes were covered in blood, but so was her body. Her face, her hands and arms, every exposed part of her skin was covered._

 _"Dear god." Brittany whispered._

 _She lifted her bloodied hands to her neck and saw the two neat holes that were placed there. She turned and raced out of the room, following her instinct to her parents rooms, and bursting through the door._

 _They lay on their beds, torn out of peaceful sleep and into blood red. Brittany hand covered her mouth as she retched, but nothing came out. She felt a deep repulsion, but under that was something even more stark. A hunger. She backed into the hallway, turning towards her own room. She only took a step inside, seeing a pale foot peeking from underneath the red stained covers before turning and rushing down the stairs and into the backyard._

 _Brittany sunk to her feet, breathing through clenched teeth. The urge to throw up crashed over her again, but she couldn't make anything come up. Even the familiar taste of bile evaded her. She slammed her fists into the ground._

 _"There, there. No need for a temper tantrum."_

 _That voice. Brittany turned to see the woman from earlier looking down at her. The moonlight shining through her bright, blonde hair._

 _Brittany's eyes narrowed. "Y-you. What did you do to me? What have I done?"_

 _"Nothing that I wouldn't have done, Britt. You are finally coming into your own, and I couldn't be prouder. It's your destiny."_

 _"My family-"_

 _"Yes, it was shame. I brought you back so that you could tell them goodbye, but you were hungry, so… I don't think they would have minded much. You were dead to them anyway."_

 _"No. No, they loved me."_

 _"They would have loved you until they found out what you've become. Then they would shun you."_

 _Brittany was up in a flash, grabbing the woman around her collar, and lifting her until her feet were barely touching the ground._

 _"My my, you are strong."_

 _"You! You did this! You made me like this."_

 _The woman wagged her finger. "No, I didn't. But I knew what would happen, and I knew I only needed to wait. And here we are."_

 _Brittany dropped the woman, staggering backwards. "What is this? What's happened to me?"_

 _She looked up, desperately and saw the mirthless smile on the woman's face._

 _"You're with me now, kid. The name is Sue. We're going to become fast friends."_


	15. The Thing About Cracking the Case

Brittany and Santana lay on the bed for a long while after Brittany stopped talking, silently laying on their sides, gazing at each other. Brittany's eyes were red from crying, and she held Santana's hand tightly, but she couldn't speak. She wanted Santana to say something, but she hadn't said a word. She simply stared at Brittany, an indescribable look in her eyes.

And so Brittany waited.

She played with Santana's hair, and smoothed her clothes, and (when she discovered Santana wasn't shrinking away from her touch, like she feared she might) more than once placed featherlight kisses on her eyelids. She listened to the sound of a few kids playing outside, and Mercedes and Sam laughing in the living room. She listed to Santana's breathing and her heartbeat, and watched that little wrinkle between her eyes grow deeper and lighter as she was lost in her own thoughts.

Brittany waited and waited and waited until she thought she was going to burst, and then Santana took a deep breath.

"Why are you with Sue?"

This is not what Brittany had been expecting. She had expected disdain, or hatred or anger. She hadn't expected a question about Sue.

Brittany thought for a moment. "After I discovered… everything, Sue was there to help me take care of it. She burned down the house, and told me I could come live with her. At first I didn't want to go, I thought that I could go back to my village, that the people would welcome me, but… I wasn't the same, and they knew it. They shunned me. I had nowhere else to go, and I didn't want to wake up in blood again, so I went to Sue. I asked her to help me to be better. And she took me in."

Santana seemed to turn this over in her mind for a few seconds. She shook her head. "But Britt, she killed your family. Why would you join her of all people?"

Brittany sat up quickly. "Santana, you don't get it. Sue didn't kill my family, I did. They were my first- my first feed. After a vampire turns they have an insatiable need for blood and it drives them to do horrible things. I've seen it many times. They will go on a rampage killing anyone in their path and drinking them dry. That's what I did. I don't know if Sue turned me or not, but I did that to them. I'm the one-"

"No."

Santana sat up, pulling away from Brittany and standing up from the bed. Her proclamation was so sharp that Brittany couldn't quite understand what she was hearing.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you didn't kill them. Brittany, they were your family. The way you spoke of them, the person you are. You wouldn't have done that. I can't believe you spent all these years thinking that you were responsible. I can't believe she let you believe that. Sue did it so that you would hate yourself and join her. Whatever her reasons. I don't know why she wanted you so badly, but she did, and your family paid the price."

"You don't know what you're talking about Santana. You weren't there. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the blood. I remember the screams. I remember the pain-"

"Honey, honey." Santana must have been able to hear the despair in her voice, and came over to her, gripping her arms, and leading her back to the bed. She laid down, and pulled Brittany almost on top of her, wrapping her arms around Brittany's shoulders.

"It's okay, Britt. It's okay. We don't have to talk about it now. But, I'll help you, okay, I'll help you remember everything."

"There's nothing to remember, Santana. It's all just blood and darkness."

Santana hushed her, gently caressing her back. "It's okay."

They laid there for a few more moments, Brittany deep in her own thoughts and Santana in hers. Santana couldn't imagine that Brittany really believed that she was responsible for her families' death. She was furious with Sue for letting her suffer for all this time, but she wouldn't force her to talk about it anymore. She was sure that Brittany would just shut down, and she didn't want to give her any more stress at the moment. But there was more to talk about. Brittany had told her about why couldn't turn her, but Santana knew there was one more story to tell: why she had to.

Santana sighed gently as Brittany snuggled contentedly into her shoulder. She pulled her a bit tighter and cleared her throat.

"Brittany, I have something to tell you."

She braced herself as Brittany sat up quickly, looking into her eyes searchingly. "What's wrong, San?"

"It's nothing, I mean, nothing really. It's about me, and my mom. My parents, really. And why I ended up living with the Joneses."

Brittany nodded, sliding off of Santana, and curling up into her side, holding her close. "You don't have to, Santana. Just because I did, okay?"

"I know, Britt. I want to. You-you wanted me to understand your side, and I have to let you understand mine. I want you to really understand me, you know?"

"Oh Santana, I already understand you. I know that you like rainbow sherbert ice cream, and don't like the dark and love your sister and your friends." She paused, burying her head into Santana's neck. "And me."

Santana smiled. "Yeah, I know, Britt. I know you understand me, probably more than almost anybody I know. But, this is what made me who I am. And it's why I want what I want. With you, I mean."

Brittany didn't look at Santana, but nodded.

Santana took a deep breath and steeled herself. She exhaled slowly. She had never told this story to anyone before. Usually Rachel was happy enough to tell others for her, but that only came up when Santana had to explain why she was afraid of dark, enclosed places. It was a semi-common occurrence with new people until Santana had threatened Rachel with a very brutal tonsillectomy if she didn't stop bringing it up. Most recently, she'd had to sit by while Rachel discussed it in whispers with Jane. It was a necessary evil, since they'd be working with Jane, but Santana had never willingly had to bring it up.

Sensing her apprehension, Brittany placed a gentle hand over Santana's heart, humming softly.

Santana sighed again, and closed her eyes, feeling the closeness of Brittany and drawing strength from her.

"My parents weren't really getting along when my dad was killed."

Santana started the tale, going back a ways to the friction between her parents, and how she'd blamed herself more than a little bit.

("It isn't your fault, Santana." Brittany murmured, while stroking her arm.)

She fast forwarded to the night at the Jones', and running out the back door. Much of the rest of the evening is bits and pieces in a patchwork memory. She remembers ending up at the house where her ex had seen her mother. She remembered a man with salt and pepper hair. She remembered beautiful awnings and hallways with many doors and rooms behind them. The rest of it was a blur, but the ending of the evening was crystal clear.

"I remember running. I was so, so afraid. Someone was chasing me, but I didn't know who. I knew that if they caught me, I would never see Mercedes or the Joneses or my mother ever again."

"Your mother was there?"

"That's the thing. I don't remember. It's so unclear. It's like a dream. But, I ran until I couldn't breathe anymore. I ended up in a cemetery of all places."

She laughed darkly to herself.

"There were crypts everywhere, and I knew I wasn't anywhere near home, and I barely recognized anyone. I crawled inside one, and tucked myself in between a slab of rock. Inside was so dark, I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. The moonlight was totally obscured in here, and I couldn't hear anything but the sound of my heart beating in my ears. I was so scared, and I was breathing so hard, but I put my hand over my mouth so no one could hear me. I wanted to pass out, but I listened hard, and heard someone walking nearby. I know it was the person chasing me, but I don't know how I knew that. I could hear him calling, and suddenly-"

Santana paused to catch her breath. She had been speaking more and more quickly, and her voice was thick with emotion.

"Suddenly, Britt, I wanted to go to him. I felt overwhelmed and I just wanted to get to him right away. I started moving against the stone, but I was wedged in too tight. My foot had gotten stuck in between the rock and the wall. I twisted a little and it hurt a lot. He called me again, but the pain helped me, I don't know, focus or something. I kept my hand over my mouth, and he walked on. Then I didn't hear him for a while."

The small circles that Brittany was rubbing in her shoulders paused at some point but continued when Santana stopped talking. It was the silent encouragement that she needed to keep going.

"So, I was so relieved. For about two seconds until I realized that he was coming back. He was talking about all kinds of things. Most of which got mixed up in my head, and I can only remember beautiful music instead. It was something beyond everything I've ever experienced, Brittany, and at some point I started to realize that he wouldn't give up until he found me. I started to panic, because his voice was just getting more and more irresistible, and I was struggling against the rock, and yanking my leg over and over. It hurt, but it was stuck, and every time I yanked it, it was like I was pulling on a rope that kept me connected to the shore instead of floating out to sea."

Santana could feel the tears pooling in her eyes, and she lifted her hands to brush them away. She had barely moved before Brittany was over her face, batting away her hands, and placing soft kisses on her face, on the places where the tears fell.

"Um, so, the darkness was just everywhere, everywhere I looked, and the pain and the dark and...and the fear. It felt like I was going crazy. And his voice was just chiming over and over again in my head. I wasn't sure if I could take it another second. And then all of sudden, he was gone again. I had pressed my head into the slab, trying to focus the pain and I must have cut myself, right above my eye. There was blood flowing down my face and I was just standing there, trying not to scream. I couldn't sit down, I couldn't move, I was exhausted and scared, and I thought about my dad. How he probably died. Laying in a pool of his own blood, somewhere on the street…"

Santana broke off, and Brittany brought a kiss to her lips. It was gentle and slow and when it was finished, Brittany went back to kissing her cheeks without saying a word. She was amazed really about how Brittany seemed to know exactly what she needed. She knew how not to push too much, or when to really push, and she knew that sometimes Santana just needed a moment or sometimes she needed someone to step in tell her stop being a baby. She loved that about her.

Santana swallowed loudly. "Um, so, I thought about how sad he must have been about not, you know, getting to say goodbye to me. I didn't want to do that same thing to Mercedes, or Dr. and Mrs. Jones, so I tried not to pass out, and I just focused on the sound of my watch ticking. It was really loud because the place was so muffled. I could barely breathe or think, and I couldn't see anything, and I couldn't hear anything so I just focused on that sound, and finally I heard voices calling for me again. But it wasn't like that other voice. It was Mercedes' voice. Her and Sam. I dunno if you've heard her sing, Britt, but she's amazing. And she's got this crazy powerful voice. So, she's yelling really loudly, and it was like a song almost, and whatever trance, or whatever I was in broke, and I felt like me again. I still couldn't get my leg free, so I just started screaming my head off, and they heard me and got me out. I had to get a brace put on my ankle, and I couldn't do cheerleading for a month, but I was just happy to not be dead."

Santana ended the story rather abruptly, and turned towards Brittany, sinking deeper into her embrace. They laid there for a moment, quiet. Brittany stroking her hair, and Santana holding on for dear life.

Brittany took a breath. "It's call glamour."

"Huh?"

"What he did. He would control you with his voice, and with his touch some. But his greatest power would come from his eyes. He would look at you and you would be stuck. It's no wonder that you followed him into the house."

"I knew it." Her voice was firm, Santana had really suspected it all along. When she was younger they'd tried to convince her that she had just gotten taken by some run of the mill perverts, but she had known. She had always suspected and when she'd me Brittany, she had known. After a while she'd just stopped talking about it with others. It was too crazy of an idea that something wasn't quite right about the pair, but there had been no use fighting it. But the fear of the dark had stayed with her. That cold grip on her heart when faced with the pitch black was like a touchstone in her brain. No matter how much she thought she was over it, she wasn't. And the sweat would gather at the back of her neck just the same as that very first time.

Now, she'd met Brittany, and she'd realized the truth about vampires. She knew that what had happened to her all those years ago hadn't been a dream. It had been real. And that meant that somewhere in her memories was the secret of what had happened to her mother.

"I never saw her again."

Brittany laid there, silently, waiting for Santana to continue.

Santana sighed. "My mother, I mean. I know I went searching for her, and I feel that I must have found her. But, I never saw her again. I don't know if she's alive or dead or…"

She let her voice trail off.

"But, being around you, Brittany, it's helped me to remember things about that night that I never thought I would. There are a lot of things about being a vampire that I know would be amazing, but I know, in my heart that it would help me to remember, I would be able to find my mother. I'd be able to make this all right."

Brittany turned, laying on her back, and looked up at the ceiling. "This won't solve all your problems, Santana. It won't even solve half of them. What happened that night wasn't your fault. You couldn't have-"

"Britt, you weren't there." Santana sat up, and moved to the edge of the bed. "You don't know. I don't even know. I know that I went there looking for my mother, and I may have found her, but I ended up alone. An orphan before my 15th birthday. How could a person do that to their own flesh and blood? How could I leave her behind?"

Brittany moved to Santana, kneeling in front of where she sat on the bed. She took her hands, and squeezed them gently until Santana met her eyes.

"You told me that I couldn't blame myself, because you know me. You know that I couldn't hurt my family. And I don't know if I believe you, Santana, but I want to. I really do. And you have to try to believe me now. We've been through so much together, Santana, and if I know one thing, it's that you're the bravest person I've ever met."

"Britt-"

"I mean it, San. You're not the type of person to leave someone behind when they need you. You didn't leave me behind in that theater, and you'd only known me for a couple of weeks."

"It's not the same."

"It's exactly the same. You're a fighter. You face bad situations and you push through them. If I'm ever in a bad situation, I'll never want anybody else at my side."

Brittany raised Santana's hands to her lips and kissed each knuckle. "Especially after the way you kicked Raze's ass."

Santana smiled grimly. "At least we always believe the best about each other."

"There are worse failings to have in a relationship."

"I'd agree with that."

Santana leaned down to kiss Brittany and was just placing a series of gentle kisses on her lips when there was a soft knock at the door.

"What is it, 'Cedes? I'm trying to get my mack on." Santana shouted towards the door.

Taking that as her cue, Mercedes, opened the door, peeking in sheepishly.

"Whatever, Santana. Unlike you, I try to treat my guests with courtesy, and not just have them locked up in my room all evening, making out. Hey Brittany."

She gave a small wave.

"Hey, Mercedes, it's good to see you!"

Brittany bounded over, and wrapped Mercedes in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet easily, before setting her back down.

Mercedes laughed, squeezing Brittany gently by the arm. "Good to see you too."

"It's, you know, been a while." Brittany blushed.

"Yeah, I guess it has. I see Santana has that look that she gets when she's been crying, but I'm taking it by the make out session that you two have made up?"

Santana cleared her throat. "I told her, Mercedes. About that night."

Mercedes sobered a bit, taking a few hesitant steps into the room. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've never told the story before, actually, so it was kind of cathartic. "

"Well, good."

"Baaaaaabe." Came Sam's whine from the living room.

"Oh yeah." Mercedes said, shaking herself. "We were ordering food, and I thought I'd come and see if you all wanted anything, cause I don't even know if you need to eat, or if you eat, um, our food. And I didn't want there to be a repeat of last time, and I'm still so sorry about that, Britt. I told Sam-"

Brittany cut her off with a good natured wave of her hand. "It's cool, Mercedes, I'm good as new. Don't worry. And until that moment, you know, with the passing out and everything, I was feeling great, actually. The food was amazing."

Mercedes smiled, relieved. "Well, thanks. I don't really feel that much better about all of it, but still, thanks. We were thinking about Chinese, and we'll make sure to double and triple check that there's no garlic. Any other, um, sensitivities we should be aware of?"

Brittany plopped back down on the bed, pulling Santana into her lap. "Nope. I'm sure that whatever you order is going to be amazing."

"Great, well, I'll let you two know when it gets here."

Mercedes made to leave, but Santana waved her back in.

"Hold up, hold up, sis. Wait a minute. How did you even know Brittany was here to ask about ordering food?"

"Are you kidding, Santana? The whole block can hear the moaning when you two get into a room alone together. I'm just glad you usually manage to behave when Sam and I are in the house."

Santana buried her face in Brittany's shoulder, leaving Mercedes chuckling as she walked back into the living room.

\

They watched Rent while they ate their Chinese food. Sam and Mercedes did their rendition of I'll Cover You, and it was pretty amazing. She then insisted that Brittany and Santana sing Take Me or Leave Me, and even though Santana pretended to be above all that Broadway crap, it was her favorite song in the whole show, and she belted it out like no tomorrow.

"I think it's totally appropriate since you two are an interracial lesbian couple." Sam mumbled over a mouthful of chicken chow mein.

When everybody stopped to look at him in confusion, he swallowed before he clarified. "Like Joanne and Maureen. In the movie!"

They all laughed and when Brittany stood up to take Santana's hand, and whirled her around the tiny living room, Brittany let herself imagine what it would be like. She plopped back down on the couch, Santana nearly in her lap as they watched the rest of the movie. It would be so amazing to live a life like this with Santana. To play Scattergories with their little family, and move in together, and have a little apartment, and maybe have a cat. They would invite Sam and Mercedes over, and Rachel and Quinn, and Jane, of course (for some reason she totally was in love with little Jane. She was reminded her very much of her younger sister Sanne, all quiet, but so, so smart). She could see all that future. And in the further future, one distant for Santana, but startlingly soon for her, she could see Santana getting old, and then having to live a life without her. Unconsciously, she pulled Santana closer.

"It's okay, Britt. Goodbye Love always gets me, too." Santana said through a sniffle.

Brittany only nodded, and tried to turn her attention back to the movie. Quinn was right, of course. She had it bad. She needed to sit down and talk to Santana about what they both wanted, and what was in their future. Preferably a future that didn't end with Brittany turning her. She'd much rather live a life with Santana as a human. It wasn't impossible. It was certainly very rare for a vampire to even want to turn back into a human. However, Brittany had heard tales of her kind, through very strange powers, reverting back to their human selves, and continuing on with life as they knew it.

She wasn't sure how to feel about mortality. Vampires were by no means immortal. They did age and die , though at a slower rate than humans. And she was able to be killed. Since meeting Santana that point had been driven home. There was something about the danger that had gotten her blood pumping and made her remember what it was like to be human. It wasn't just the dangerous situations. Sometimes, she would be with Santana, and they'd be having a completely innocuous conversation. Then Santana would look over at her, and the hunger and desire in her eyes would make Brittany's stomach flip. And now, of course, she knew that Santana loved her too, and just the thought made her heart want to beat out of her chest. She had forgotten, over years of trying to forget, how humanity can slowly slip away. And being with Santana made her want to remember.

The movie ended, and Brittany helped Santana with the dishes, while Mercedes and Sam sat behind them and held up color samples for them to critique.

"Too pink." Santana said, turning around only slightly before pointing a wet, pruny thumb down.

"Santana, you barely even looked." Sam said.

"Well, if you want to be the Salmon face with the palette to match, be my guest."

"Well, 'Cedes likes pink, so I figure a darker color would-"

"Why don't you just cover everything in rainbow flags and call it a day?"

Mercedes laughed. "It's okay, baby, I'm not too crazy about that color anyway."

Sam grumbled and kept sifting through the cards.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Everyone llooked around at one another with a hint of alarm.

"Who could that be? It's almost ten." Mercedes grumbled, scooting off of the stool, and striding for the door.

"Wait!" Brittany almost shouted.

The eyes of the room shifted to her.

"I just mean, maybe I could get it. You never know…" She trailed off.

"Never know what?" Mercedes responded, but Sam was already at her side, guiding her back towards her seat.

Brittany walked towards the door at an angle. She kept her ear cocked towards it, and heard two hearts beating on the other side. Standing next to the door jam, she breathed in deeply. The smell of hair gel filled her senses.

There was only one person who could be behind the door, though she wasn't quite sure what they could possibly want. She cocked her head, opening the door and swinging it wide.

"Blaine? And Will? What are you doing here?"

They were standing in the doorway, Will clutching at a book in his hands, and Blaine sheepishly smoothing the sides of his gelled hair.

"And what are you doing together? I thought you hated Blaine?" Santana pointed her questions at Will, dried her hands on a nearby towel, and walked over to join Brittany by the door.

"Well, Santana, you know more than anyone that desperate times call for desperate measures. And I think that this qualifies."

"Look, the last time we took your advice we ended up almost getting killed in the middle of Manhattan, so excuse me if I'm not quite ready to head off on another adventure with the great William Schuester."

Santana made to close the door, but Will put a hand up, blocking it.

"And, I can understand that reluctance, Santana, of course, but you'll want to hear us out on this one."

"Us? Brittany raised an eyebrow.

"Blaine and I have found it necessary to join forces on this one, and I'm glad for it. Without him, I don't know where I would have ended up."

"If you don't mind, Santana-" Blaine said, looking nervously back and forth. "Can we come in? This isn't exactly a conversation that I want to have in the hallway where anyone can overhear."

"I wouldn't even have to be in the hallway to hear everything. So, I don't think it'll matter in the end." Brittany said, shrugging and looking at Santana.

"Fine." She sighed, moving away from the door, and pulling out a stool from the counter. "But, this better be good."

"Oh, it most certainly will be." Will said, enthusiastically.

Brittany moved to the side, letting them in, and then closed the door behind them. She stood behind Santana, putting her arms around her waist, and pulling her close. She heard Santana's heart, which had spiked considerably when she'd seen who was at the door, slow a bit, and she felt her own hands be covered by her touch.

"Um, what is going on in my living room?"

Mercedes and Sam sat up from where they were sitting on the couch.

"This is Will and Blaine. You know them, Mercedes, they're the idiots that I complain about all the time. Blaine is obviously the one with a metric ton of hair gel in his hair. Will's the one who could use some hair gel."

"Nice to meet you? That doesn't really explain what they're doing in my living room, Santana."

"Well, they're going to be explaining that right now, apparently. And it's supposed to be really good, so I'm really looking forward to it, 'Cedes." Chirped Brittany, who was obviously having a wonderful time.

"I'll make some coffee." Sam said, getting up from the couch.

"I'll take some, black." Will called after him.

"You want to get to it, Will? My plans for the evening included spending it with my sister, her dumb ass boyfriend, and my girlfriend, not you and Young Master Spackleson over there."

"Hey!" Called Sam from the kitchen.

"Fair enough, I wouldn't want to waste anymore of your time. But I knew that the relic had been taken, and I thought I knew where to find the blood that was required to activate it. We-Blaine and I- found this book in the stacks of the library where the relic was originally kept, It's the missing piece of the puzzle. We knew that it would have the information that we needed to find out where the blood was. And we came to you, since you are most literally sleeping with the enemy, we thought you might be very interested in what we discovered. No offense, Brittany."

Brittany squeezed Santana a little tighter. She wanted to give her some reassurance, but more pressingly, she wanted to stop her from lunging over any furniture. She was surprised when she felt no resistance in Santana's muscles.

"And why do you think we'd be interested in anything you found out?" Santana said, patting reassuringly on Brittany's hands.

"Because I know that you all want to stop Sue as much as I do. I was there, Brittany, I know that April thinks that Sue is hiding something from you, and that what she wants to do is dangerous to people from your bloodline. You have to want to stop her."

Santana shrugged, but Brittany wanted to hear them out. She wasn't sure about everything with Sue, and the rest, about her family. For the first time in a long time, she was doubting herself, and everything that she'd always believed in and it wasn't the best feeling. But, she knew that hanging around Santana it wouldn't be long before all of the mysteries of her life were brought to light. She only had to ne willing and able to face all of the demons head on. She narrowed her eyes at Will.

"Well, what did you discover?"

Will smiled darkly, and opened the book on the counter, pointing to a particular passage.

"It's the blood. The blood needed for the ceremony."

"What about it?"

Blaine pointed to a section emphatically and shook his head. "It's not hidden out there, or somewhere in the city. Sue already has it. It's inside the device, itself."

"What? That's impossible, we-"

Will interrupted her. "All we know about the blood is that Sue sent Brittany and her ilk to find it. She says it's needed for a ceremony, but we think that really, the blood is already inside the relic, and she's just waiting for the opportunity to use it."

"How'd you know that the other vampires of our clan were looking for it too?" Santana asked suspiciously.

"That would be because of me." Blaine stuttered, averting his eyes. "I got Kurt's number, and he's been keeping me on top of what's going on with Sue's clan."

"My goodness. Between you, Santana and Rachel, it seems like everybody is hooking up with vampires." Mercedes said, shaking her head.

Santana rolled her eyes, but Blaine quickly jumped in.

"No, no, it's nothing like that. We're just friends. I mean, he's just helping me-"

"Save it, Warbler, get to the point. Like, explaining how you know there's blood in that thing."

"Well, that's where Will comes in. He was doing some research at the library, and came across this."

Blaine took the book from Will, and laid it on the table, opening it up to a page with a very detailed illustration of the relic. Brittany had never really seen it up close, having only seen it briefly when Sue held it up in triumph. It was an intricate piece, seemed to be carved from an ancient wood, with swirls and runes carved into the side. It was almost the shape of a star, with five points that radiated from a middle point. The middle was a metal orb, that stood out somewhat from the wood, and according to the illustration, once opened would reveal a cavity which held something. The blood she assumed. Brittany ran her fingers over the print, feeling the small bumps underneath her fingertips. This seemed like the real deal. Anyway, it wasn't like she'd put lying past Sue, but what was the point? Why lie so all of them were running around the city when-

"Oh!" Brittany jolted, unwrapped herself from Santana, and rushed into Santana's bedroom. In all her excitement about being in Santana's good graces, she'd forgotten her original purpose.

She returned with her bookbag, and quickly pulling out the book that Quinn had given her earlier. It was as ornate as Brittany remembered with a cover intricately carved into bound leather, and accented with gold. She placed the book delicately on the counter, next to Santana, taking her spot again, standing behind the stool.

"What's that?" Mercedes said, joining Santana and Brittany at the counter.

"Quinn gave it to me. It tells us everything that we know about the relic, and the history about it, which, unfortunately isn't that much. But, it there's something to be figured out, it's in here."

Santana opened the book, flipping through the pages, and Will and Blaine gathered around.

"Here it is. What language is this?"

Brittany looked over. "Oh, it's old French, like old English. Quinn's really the person you want in a situation like this, but I can read a little. Though, when Sue gave it to us, she didn't really suggest we read anything. But, I think I can make out a bit."

"What does it say?" Blaine edged over to the counter, looking closely at the print.

"It says something about a great eye…. Like, the great eye will open, and cure the iron. Or something. Um, this part says something about a ceremony. It must be completed when the great eye looks down, and it will purify the worthy. Something like that."

"What does that even mean? Can't you be a bit clearer in your translation? I would have thought someone who spent a couple hundred years on Earth would be better-"

Will's rant was cut off by a particularly hard punch to his solar plexus. He hit the ground, wheezing while Santana was back at Brittany's side almost immediately.

"It was great, babe. That's way more Old French than that brillo pad haired, bag of dicks could even manage."

She patted Brittany's arm reassuringly.

"Thanks, San, but it was really terrible."

"No way! It gave us a lot more than we knew before. If Blaine and Will: The Human Pit Stain are right, then Sue wasn't waiting on the blood, because she already had it. What was she waiting on?"

"Another piece of the puzzle?" Suggested Sam, as he came into the room, holding a tray of coffee for their guests.

"But what exactly? The passage doesn't tell us what we're looking for." Blaine replied, frustrated.

"Okay, so, we know that it has something to do with that great eye. What could that be? When it opens? Maybe there's another ceremony that she needed to finish first." Santana pinched the bridge of her nose. "We've gotta figure this out. I get the feeling that time isn't on our side. I'm going to call the crew. I know Jane and Artie will be able to come up with something. I guess I'll call Rachel too, otherwise I won't hear the end of it if we crack this thing without her."

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and went into her bedroom to make the calls.

Brittany was at a loss. Her crappy Old French notwithstanding, she couldn't make heads or tails of the passage, and she was with Santana on this one; their time was running out. She stared hard at the text, hoping to glean some new meaning from it, but felt like she was coming up empty. Blaine and Will still stood nearby, Will clutching his chest, through ragged breaths. She smiled slightly to herself. Though she wasn't really comfortable with violence, Brittany had to admit she loved the way that Santana had stood up for her. Except for Quinn, she really didn't have anyone like that in her life. And even then sometimes Quinn found it was easier to side with Sue, rather than stick up for her. She sighed, looking back down at the book. Santana was depending on her. That's why it was even more important that she not fail her now. It had been a long time since she'd seen the language, and she already sucked at modern French. Quinn was really the person to ask. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and dialed Quinn's number. It went straight to voicemail and she frowned, hanging up instead of leaving a message.

Will and Blaine stood over the book that they had found in the library and Mercedes walked over to the book on the counter, drinking her tea instead of coffee.

"That's weird." Brittany said, staring down at her phone.

"What is it?" Mercedes asked.

"Quinn. She's not answering her phone."

"Maybe she's out with Rachel."

"No, Rachel's been at home all day." Brittany responded distractedly.

"How do you know that?"

"Rachel just told Santana. Well, Santana is making fun of her for being home alone all day, and asking her why she didn't just, 'get her boo to come pick her up'. So, she's not with Rachel."

"That's one of your, um, powers, huh? You can hear things?"

"Yeah." Brittany said sheepishly. "Hear, and see, and smell, and all the rest. My senses are pretty strong. And I'm strong too, and fast. I would have thought Santana would have told you all this."

"Well, you know for yourself that Santana is a pretty mysterious creature. Especially with things, or people, that are really important to her."

Brittany blushed. "Yeah, she doesn't open up right away. "

"No, she doesn't. My mom always said it was because she was born under a new moon. It's an old superstition, but with Santana, there might be something to it."

Brittany laughed, then stopped, thinking for a moment. She walked quickly to the window on the side of the building, looking out desperately.

"What is it?" Asked Mercedes, coming up behind her.

"What kind of moon is it tonight?"

"Um, full, I think. I was telling Sam it would be the perfect night to reschedule our carriage ride through Central Park."

Brittany was already away from the window, and nearly crashed into Santana, who was emerging from her bedroom at a fast clip.

"Brittany-"

"Santana-"

"No, you go first."

"No, no, go ahead, what's going on?"

"No, Britt, I think your thing is probably more important, go ahead."

"No, it's okay, it can wait a few moments, what were you going to say?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "You two are about to give me diabetes, will you just spit it out already?"

"Fine." Santana said, rolling her eyes at Mercedes but giving Brittanya sweet smile. "Rachel, Artie and Jane are already on their way here. Blaine called them, because he apparently knows nothing about keeping a secret, and anyway, Artie's driving. That's it. Now, what was your thing?"

"I think-" Brittany started. "I think that the eye, the eye in the passage, is talking about a full moon. The full moon that started tonight. That's what Sue was waiting on. That's why she wanted us, all of us, running around the city. She wanted us distracted so she could wait on this."

"But how can you be sure, Brittany? There are a lot of things that passage could be referring to." Will moved over to where they were standing, and pointed a finger at Brittany.

"Watch it, Schuester, or you're going to be losing that finger." Santana growled.

Will paled immediately, and shrunk back, putting a hand protectively into his pocket. "I just mean, we have to be sure, we might not get another chance at this."

"Well, I can't be sure. I just have a feeling. But t he moon is a significant thing in vampire lore. It's said that the night Ameni and Meti had their great knock down drag out was the last night of a full moon. And now Quinn isn't answering her phone."

"Do you think that Quinn would know? That Sue was lying, I mean?" Santana asked.

Brittany thought for a moment. "Quinn would do whatever it took to help Sue complete the ceremony, but only because she didn't believe that Sue would lie to us. But, knowing that the blood is in the relic itself, that changes everything. She wanted us distracted, she wanted to be able to perform the ritual without interruption, and that would mean that I would be far away."

"Because you don't share the same blood?"

"Exactly."

Santana put a hand on Brittany's arm. "Who shares your blood?"

"In our clan, Mike and Puck, and some others. But Quinn, Sue, Sugar, Tina, and Becky all share the same blood."

"Do you think she could do it, Britt? Do you think she would kill off half of you to purify her blood, and consolidate her power?"

Brittany nodded softly. "I know she would, actually."

"Then we have to stop her."

Brittany opened her mouth to respond, and there was a knock at the door.

"That must be them." Santana moved over to open it, and Rachel, Jane and Artie quickly filed in, closing the door behind them.

Their already small apartment was getting crowded quickly, and Sam moved the couch over to make room for Artie's chair.

"You guys are right on time. We're trying to figure out the best way to storm the castle." He said, pushing Artie deeper into the room.

Rachel was on her feet and already addressing everyone. "Well, I have a few ideas about that. I haven't spoken to Quinn all day, and at first I thought it was quite puzzling, but then I started having this thick anxiety in my chest, and I would propose that it's the result of the bond that we share, and that whatever Quinn is experiencing at the moment is quite a hair raising experience. My suggestion is that we all go in together-"

"No."

They all looked towards Brittany, who stood defiantly staring back, her arms crossed in front of her. Then they all turned to Santana, whose eyes were already developing storm clouds.

"Brittany-"

"No, Santana. Look, I'm sorry, okay? It's not that I don't think you're capable, and it's not that I think that you can't help it's not that. It's never that, okay? I meant what I said before, you're braver than anyone else I know and probably smarter I won't be able to focus, Santana. I won't be able to think if I know that you could be in danger. That would be a danger to everybody, not just you. You have to stay here, you have to stay safe, I can't accept anything else."

There was a pause as the group looked from Santana then to Brittany and then back again. No one said a word, and they all collectively took a step back, ready to move out of the way of the inevitable explosion that was about the start.

"Brittany-"

"Santana, no. Look, you have to understand-"

Santana put a hand on Brittany's arm, quieting her. She gave her a gentle smile, and continued in a soft voice.

"That feeling that you'll have if I'm nearby, that hopeless, desperate feeling; I will have it a million times worse if I sit here. It will eat at me. I will know that you, the woman that I love… The woman that I love with a feeling that's matched by only about three people on this entire planet… You are fighting and I am not giving everything that I have to help you. Do you love me, Brittany?"

Brittany opened her mouth to argue, but closed it quickly, nodding.

"Then you know that if the roles were reversed, that nothing would be able to keep you from going out that door. Nothing would stop you from going with me, and giving everything you have to help stop this and save my life. And I'm saying that not because I know what you're thinking, or that I can predict how you'll feel, but because that's how I feel, Britt. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you, Brittany. I will give everything I have to stop this because it's more than all the vampires who share your blood, or Puck or Mike or anything. Because it's you, Brittany. It's you and I won't stop until I know you're safe."

Santana's voice was thick with tears, and she stopped to wipe several away. Brittany reached her hand up and caught a few, putting her hands on Santana's elbows, and pulling her close, and into a tight embrace. She was right, of course. If she were in Santana's pace, nothing would have been able to stop her from running right into the house, and fighting tooth and nail until the whole thing was done. The burning in her chest became an inferno, and she had to hold her breath to keep it from coming out in sobs. She couldn't ask Santana to stay, it wasn't fair, and she knew it. But letting her go… It was an idea that made her want to curl up into a ball and never get up. Sue would be fulfilling her own deepest desires, and she would try to kill anyone who stood in her way. And, Santana could be that person. If Sue knew what she was doing, Santana would be that person. And Sue definitely knew what she was doing.

"We just have to promise." Santana breathed, sniffing.

"Promise?" Brittany's own voice was thick as well. She squeezed Santana tightly against her chest, though she probably should have given her some room to breathe.

"I promise you, Brittany that I won't let anything happen to you."

Brittany nodded. "And I'll protect you with everything I have."

"Good. Now, all we have to do is not break our word."

"I love you, Santana. I don't think I've ever loved anyone like I love you."

"I love you too, Brittany S. Pierce. I love you so much."

Brittany loosened her grip, pulling back and looking into Santana's eyes. "And I promise when all of this is said and done, I'm never letting you go."

"You'd better not." Santana laughed, in a watery voice.

Brittany returned the laugh, though the only thing she wanted to do was sob until her throat was as raw as her heart.

"Let's hit it then." Artie said, breaking the tension.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Artie. If you think I'm rolling your ass into this fight-" Santana started.

"Look, Santana. As beautiful as this Brittana display has been, you think you're the only person with skin in the game? Coverage of this would put SLINN into the stratosphere. Plus, I want to make sure none of you knuckleheads end up dead. I'm in."

Santana looked to Artie, and to the rest of the group, who all nodded in turn.

Rachel buttoned her coat. "Well, frankly, Santana, this is only the most dangerous situation you've gotten me into this week, so I believe I will have to see it through to the bitter end."

"And I can't have anything happen to you all until you sign for the internship credit." Added Jane.

Santana smiled, and then her face dropped when she saw Mercedes reaching for her jacket.

"Mercedes, you can't-"

"And have Mom fly down here and ready to fight me because I let something happen to you? No way. I'm in, and Sam is too. We can't get married without our best bridesmaid. So, we're doing this too . Anyway, I probably have more crosses than all of you, and from what I've learned from Brittany, some of the vampires are susceptible them, right?"

Brittany nodded, smiling cheerfully.

"I guess, we'll all have to stuff ourselves into my van. Some of you will be on the floor."

"Santana and I will take my bike. And I'll lead the way."

They all nodded, and headed out the door.

They all followed Brittany down the stairs, and she watched carefully as everyone loaded themselves into Artie's van, Mercedes and Rachel arguing over who should ride shotgun. She handed a helmet to Santana, who smiled at her.

"Just like old times, huh?"

"What?"

"Me on the back of your bike. Cuddling close, and pretending that I'm not loving every moment of it."

"You enjoyed that too, huh?"

Santana bumped Brittany softly with her shoulder, strapping her own helmet on, and securing it tightly. "Sure I did. I think you did too."

"Well, we've got plenty of chances to do it again. Once this is all said and done." Brittany slapped her own helmet on, and turned towards Santana, who tightened the straps, and secured it for her.

"I know, but this one feels important."

Brittany nodded, and allowed Santana to pull her forward by her helmet straps.

She was only a few inches away from Santana's face, and she could feel the warm breath of her exhale on her face. The fragrance that she sometimes even smelled in her dreams filled her senses, and she could only see the dark eyes in every corner of her vision. She ran her hands through black, raven hair, and skimmed her fingers over tanned skin. Her breath hitched, and looking in Santana's eyes was the only thing that brought her back to reality.

"I meant what I said, Britt. I promise I will always take care of you."

"I know, Santana. I meant what I said too."

"Good."

Santana closed the distance between them, and placed a soft kiss on Brittany's lips. Brittany could feel the smoldering heat behind it, but even more she could feel the promise. It filled her mind, and expanded until it vibrated her down to her toes. She pressed her hands against the small of Santana's back, pressing her more fully into her body, and pushed until their fronts were flush against one another.

She could feel the eyes of everyone in the van on them, but Brittany couldn't be bothered to care. She'd never wanted to touch Santana more, and even with her arms wrapped around her, it still wasn't enough. She pressed back into the kiss, and dipped a tongue over Santana's bottom lip, wanting more than anything to taste her. Santana opened her eyes slightly, and in silent understanding, opened her mouth, allowing Brittany's tongue to slip through, mingling with her own.

Their tongues danced, Santana's low and slow, dragging across Brittany's. Brittany's quick and flighty, darting here and there, trying to cover as much space as possible.

They broke apart with a gasp, the intensity of their feelings layered in that kiss, and then moved to get onto the bike.

Brittany waited until Santana was situated, and shivered when Santana's arms wrapped around her waist.

"Cold?" Santana asked, nuzzling her head into Brittany's back.

Brittany raised the kickstand, pulling into the street. She heard Artie pull up behind her, and they were on their way.

"Never been warmer."


	16. The Thing About Endings

They arrived at the manor, and Santana tried not to linger on the bike, but she hugged Brittany a bit closer for a moment before letting her go, and watching her swing her leg over the bike. On their way there Brittany had called Mike and Puck, and found that they were distracted in their own search, and far away from the house, but they said they'd come right away and meet them. A quick text from Puck said that they were nearby, so she gathered the group as they exited Artie's van and pointed them towards the house.

Santana had to admire the way that she was taking charge, and leading the way. When they had spoken before, she always felt as though Brittany sometimes doubted herself, that she wasn't good or smart enough, but it only had taken the almost certain annihilation of her bloodline to get her to really go full tilt at this leadership thing. Santana laughed at her dark humor, and edged over to Brittany, taking a place at her side.

"So, as you all may or may not know, something big is going to be happening tonight-"

"We think." Interrupted Will.

Santana gave him a sharp look, hoping to remind him of the punch she'd delivered earlier, and as a warning not to interrupt Brittany again. He shirked back from the look and closed his mouth.

"And we might be facing some interesting circumstances when we get in there. I can't tell you what, or how difficult. As you are all human, you're going to be in danger. Some of the folks that you're going to face have supernatural abilities, we're going to have to make sure to stay together at all times."

"Also-" Santana started, turning towards Will, "Why don't you show us what you've got in that bag of tricks?"

Will was practically preening as he lifted two big duffel bags out of the van, placing them carefully on the ground, and squatting to zip them open.

"I brought the whole arsenal. We may be human, but this stuff should give us a fighting chance."

He handed out hats like the ones he gave them at April's, also rifling through the bag, and handing out silver crosses, small globes sloshing with liquid, a few bulbs of garlic, and bags of marbles and sunflower seeds.

Brittany eyed the arsenal warily. "Just remember. Some of these folks are on our side, or they very soon will be once they find out what Sue is planning. We don't have to take them out, just incapacitate them."

"And be careful where you're pointing that stuff. Especially the garlic. If any of you hit Brittany, you'll have to deal with me." Santana growled, stuffing the flasks of liquid into her pockets.

Will pulled another bag out of the van (this one half the size of his duffels), and strapped it securely to his back, clicking the waist strap into place.

"Ready."

"I've got to hand it to you, Will." Santana said. "You certainly do come prepared."

Will checked his straps a few more times. "Well, Santana, I come from a long line of vampire hunters, and we know how to deal with them. So, I think this is the first time that I've fought with them on my side."

He nodded towards Brittany, who nodded back; a gesture of mutual respect.

"What do you mean, Schuester? Your family has fought vampires before?"

"Yeah, well, on my mother's side. Before she married my father she came from a long line of great men and women. Their last name was Kresnick."

Jane gasped as she stuffed her curly hair under her hat. "Like Goran Kresnick? The guy who did the renovations of John Bigelow's house, and was the cousin of the vampire hunter from the old country?"

"Well," Said Will, with a hint of astonishment in his voice. "Someone was paying attention at the start of this little play. Yes, one and the same."

Brittany raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you always seemed to know a little too much about what would be effective against us."

"But I didn't know everything. Especially that something that worked against one might not work against the other. That's how you caught me with that sucker punch the first time."

"Well, you had kind of incapacitated my friends. I wasn't sure you'd left me with much of a choice."

Will shrugged. "Fair enough."

"But, now we're working together." Brittany approached him, and put a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm glad to have you on my team. I hope you'll know that all vampires aren't evil, and we're not trying to take over the world. We're just trying to survive, and do our best."

Will looked as if he were struggling with this new information versus what he had convinced himself for years. He didn't look entirely won over, but shrugged again, extending his hand towards Brittany. She shook it.

"Well, then, I'm glad to be of service." He said pumping Brittany's had vigorously. "Let's go stop this thing before it gets out of control."

As if on cue, Brittany heard the roar of Puck's roadster coming up the driveway. She turned towards their little group.

"Remember, both Mike and Puck are sensitive to the crosses, so if you're near them, keep them hidden, and wrapped up tightly."

The others nodded, and Brittany stepped away to greet Mike and Puck, and bring them up to speed.

Santana tightened her belt, and hat, and was adjusting the various tools around her waist, when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder.

"I like you wearing this jacket, Santana. You always look like a badass in leather."

Santana smiled, and turned to face Mercedes, who wore a nervous look on her face.

"Well, I just bought it a few weeks ago. The blue reminds me of Brittany's eyes, so…."

Mercedes returned her smile, though the worry was still there. Santana couldn't help herself, and swept her sister up in an embrace.

"I don't think I can ever tell you how much it means to me that you came. I don't want you here at all 'Cedes, but it means so much to me that you are."

Mercedes took a moment before replying, and Santana could hear the heaviness in her voice.

"Well, one day I might have a new sister-in-law, and I don't want to miss out on that. Especially with you giving Sam and I so much grief about our wedding. I want to be able to return the favor."

Santana chuckled. "I only do it because I want your wedding to be the shit. People are going to be talking about it forever."

"Yeah, if you have anything to say about it, that is."

"Damn straight."

The pulled away from each other, but Santana held on a second longer, squeezing Mercedes' forearms gently. She took a deep breath.

"Ever since we were kids, 'Cedes-"

"Santana, don't, okay? We're not going to die in there, I know it. Whatever you want to say, you can say it when we get back home."

Santana sighed. "I know, Mercedes, but I just want to say this, because I don't say it enough. I just want to say it now. Is that okay?"

Mercedes paused for a moment, giving Santana a long look, then nodded.

"Good. So, yeah, you know, ever since we were kids, you've always looked out for me. Before Brittany, and Rachel and Sam even, and that matters to me. You're one of the most important people in my life, and I don't know what I would do without you. I love you, sis."

Santana couldn't help the tears that were forming in her eyes, but she did her best to blink them away. She saw them reflected in Mercedes' eyes and smiled softly.

"Hey, now, don't be getting all emotional on me." She laughed, pulling Mercedes in for another hug.

"I love you, too, Santana. You're my best friend, and my sister, and I love you too."

Mercedes voice was muffled by Santana's jacket, and Santana smiled.

"Maybe you can use some of that in your vows."

Mercedes smiled and batted at Santana's arm. "I think Sam might have something to say about that."

"Say about what? Are you okay, babe?" Sam walked up behind Mercedes, placing a tender hand on her back.

"I'm fine. We were just having a Sancedes moment."

Without thinking too much about it, Santana reached over and grabbed Sam, pulling him into a hug, and holding tight.

"I probably never said a proper thank you for that night in the crypt, Sam, when we were kids, and for every night after. You took care of me, and you're taking care of my sister, and you're probably the sweetest hillbilly I ever met, and you make me proud to be your sister in law."

Santana disengaged herself, and pushed Sam away, moving back towards Brittany.

"And if you ever repeat any of that, I'll gut you like a fish."

Sam's eyes went wide, but relaxed when he grinned, giving Santana a thumbs up, and moving to put his arm around Mercedes.

Santana joined Brittany where she stood near Puck and Mike, while they discussed strategy.

"What are we thinking?" She muttered to Brittany, trying not to break their concentration.

Brittany took Santana's hand without thinking, and pressed it against her lips.

"There are a couple ways in and out. Mostly for those of us sensitive to sunlight. I think the best way would be through the lower sewers. We can take those almost right next to Sue's rooms, which is most certainly where the ceremony will be held. The only problem is, we're going to need a distraction. Sue is bound to have a crew on watch. There are a few with powers like mine, who can hear and see very well, but they aren't as powerful, we'll probably be able to get pretty close without them figuring it out. But I worry less about the guards, and more about Sue. She'll be prepared. Whatever we plan, however we go about it, she'll be prepared. She didn't get this far by being stupid."

"You're no dummy yourself, Britt. You figured out the puzzle, you got us out of April's, you're leading the way now. You could be the leader of this clan if you wanted to."

Brittany shook her head. "I love you, and I love that you think that Santana, but I'm not. Sue has played us this entire time, and she knows exactly where this will end up-"

"She doesn't. She knows where she thinks it will end up. But she's underestimated you for a long time, Brittany. She's underestimated you, and she doesn't know all that you're capable of. What _we're_ capable of. And I think it's time we showed her."

Santana gave a devilish smile, and Brittany couldn't help but grin back. She nodded.

"Let's do this, then."

She turned back to Puck and Mike. "Mike, I want you at the front door, I'll go with you. Puck, you're going to lead them through the sewers, and right next to the grandfather clock entrance. You'll wait there until we pull you out."

Santana's eyes went wide. "Wait, we're splitting up? I don't know if I like that idea."

Brittany took Santana's other hand in her own, and pulled them both up to her chest. "I know it's not ideal, but if I go in the front door, all eyes are going to be on me. I'm sending Puck with you, and he'll take care of you, take care of _all_ of you until we get back together. It won't be long. I promise. The next thing you're going to see is me reaching to pull you out of a wall sconce."

"What's a sconce?" Puck asked.

Mike punched him in the shoulder, and pulled him away from the women, who were now lost in each other's eyes.

"Remember what I said, Britt. You have to be okay, so I can take care of you."

Santana tried to hide the desperation in her voice, but it was difficult. She swallowed around the lump in her throat.

"I mean it." She tried again.

"I know, Santana, I know. I promise I will."

Brittany leaned down until her forehead was touching Santana's. They closed their eyes, and stood there for a moment, just savoring the closeness, then Santana turned her head up and brought her lips against Brittany's.

Santana liked a lot of things about kissing Brittany. Usually their kisses started off slow, but got faster and faster, until their clothes were strewn about the room, and they panting for breath on top of the sheets. Sometimes they started off fast, and would become lazier and lazier, until they were still out of breath, but still fully clothed, pressed breast to breast under the covers. Sometimes Brittany would kiss every part of her, except her lips, saving them for last. She'd come up from under the blankets, and meet Santana's lips, so that Santana could taste the fruits of her labors, Brittany's face glistening in the soft light that streamed in through her bedroom window. Oftentimes it was the opposite, Brittany diving for her lips as Santana was the one who had made her squirm, and call out her name. As if Brittany couldn't wait to taste herself on Santana.

All these moments, all these kisses, fevered and frenzied, calm and controlled; were condensed down into this kiss between them. In this moment, in this second, were all the feelings that they couldn't say, and all the emotions that were just too deep to dig up, and show to the world. They both pushed their hopes and desires and fears and love into that kiss, until they were too breathless and dazed to do anything more than hold on for dear life. Then after another moment, they broke apart.

Santana turned immediately, going towards Rachel, and taking her hand, leading her towards the house. Brittany lingered a moment longer, watching her go, with Puck scrambling after her, and redirecting her towards the entrance that they would actually be taking. Brittany smiled softly, and turned to follow Mike. She looked up and gazed at the moon where it hung, full and high in the sky.

\

 _Quinn had sent Brittany hours ago with the book to find Santana, and hadn't heard anything yet. She'd thought about calling Brittany a few times, but figured it would be best to let her figure it all out on her own. If anything she should be happy she'd hadn't heard from Brittany. It made it more likely that she'd made up with Santana, and would finally stop moping around the house like a kicked puppy._

 _It definitely gave her more time to think about the problem with Sue. If there was even a problem. Quinn had to admit. It made sense that this was just the kind of plan that Sue would enact, but as much as Sue was annoyed by Brittany, she couldn't imagine that she would just kill her and half the other vampires just like that. But if that wasn't true then why would April say it? She agreed with Brittany that April wasn't one to say things that she didn't mean, or didn't think were true, but that opened her up to a whole list of possibilities that she wasn't ready to face._

 _Quinn shuffled around on her couch for a while, pretending to read a book, and then dropping it when she realized she was too amped to focus. The house was abuzz with energy, and she didn't even need to be able to read people's thoughts to feel it. She was able to turn most of the noise down in her head, but it was still leaving her unable to concentrate. She pulled out her phone, wondering for a moment what Rachel was up to. Who was she kidding, though really? These days Rachel was always on her mind, even when she was pretending to think about something else. She scrolled through her messages. The texts from Rachel far outweighed any others, and most of them were several paragraphs long. She didn't mind though. She liked reading them, and Rachel didn't expect her to write much back, so she didn't feel pressured. She liked to think that Rachel just enjoyed the idea of her reading what she'd written, and Quinn was more than happy to do that._

 _She smiled, scrolling through a particularly wordy essay regarding Rachel's thoughts on the whaling industry. She composed a brief reply, just hitting send as her door crashed open._

" _Haven't you ever learned to knock?!" She shouted, advancing on the doorway._

 _She paused when she saw Becky waiting there, leaning against the doorframe._

" _Oh, please, Fabray. Do you really want to take that tone with me?"_

 _Quinn rolled her eyes, and folded her arms. "What is it, Becky?"_

" _Oh, I just came to have some tea and biscuits and talk about our days-" She deadpanned. "What do you think? Sue wants you. She says it's important, and that you should come now."_

" _Fine." Quinn huffed, shoving her phone into the pocket of her sweater and following Becky down the hall. She shared Brittany's distaste for Sue's quarters, as much as she tried to pretend otherwise. If anything, she spent more time down there than anyone, save for Sue and Becky, but there was something about that coppery aroma (one that she depended on so much), that was corrupted there. She gritted her teeth and walked through the door. They went through another door, down a flight of stairs, down a long hallway, and down one more door before they saw Sue waiting for them. They were in her inner crypt, and though Quinn had been there countless times before, she'd never seen it like this._

 _Blood, red candles covered every exposed surface, and the wax dripped down the walls, which were covered in black and red fabric. In the center of the room, was Sue's crypt, and behind that, the feeding table, that led to a large cavity in the floor behind it. It was where the blood would drain down during their feedings, though usually there wasn't enough of it to make a mess. But, Sue liked to keep things tidy._

 _As she stepped closer (with Becky standing back near the door), she noticed Sue's crypt covered in fabric as well, and on the surface, was the relic. It was carefully positioned in the middle on top, within easy reach of Sue._

 _Sue herself was wearing an embroidered black and red robe with fire on one side and the silhouettes of dragons on the other. The cloak that was wrapped around her shoulders looked velvet lined with a collar that went almost past her ears. Sue had always had a flair for the dramatic, but this seemed ridiculous. -_

 _Quinn eyed Sue carefully. "What's going on here, Sue? I thought that you were waiting on the blood to finish the ceremony. And, as far as I know it hasn't been delivered. So, why all this?"_

 _Quinn gestured to the walls and candles._

 _Sue smiled. "Let's not play games here, Quinnie. You and I both know that the blood was in the relic all along."_

 _Quinn cocked her head, not wanting to give too much away. "Then why send everyone on a wild goose chase?"_

 _Sue didn't answer right away, circling around the table a ways and stopping to face Quinn again._

" _Who is Rachel?"_

 _Quinn blanched, and looked guiltily from side to side. "What do you mean, Sue?"_

" _Oh Quinn, Quinn, Quinn. I would have thought you capable of many things. But underestimating me? Are you getting soft there, Fabray?"_

 _Quinn sighed, hiding her face behind her impassive mask. "I don't know who you're talking about."_

" _Oh, I think you do." Sue said, striding around the crypt and over to where Quinn stood. "Becky over there is good for more than just talking. She can listen too. She knows all about your little love interest. We know what happened at the theater, and what happened at April's. You were foolish to go there, just to rescue Brittany's girlfriend, but that's neither here nor there. While you all were running about in your own way, I was biding my time, and waiting for the full moon. This is when the magic will be most powerful. This is when we will strike."_

 _Sue stroked Quinn's chin, and Quinn jerked away, sneering._

" _You're crazy, Sue."_

" _Am I, Quinn?"_

 _Quinn's phone chose that moment to chirp with a message notification. She squeezed her eyes shut when it chirped almost instantly again and again. She knew who it would be from._

" _Let me guess? That's Rachel now? Well, out with it Quinn, let me see if I'm right."_

 _Quinn didn't have much of a choice. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, not even bothering to check before handing it to Sue. Sue smiled, glancing down at the screen and then back to Quinn._

" _Oh, isn't that cute. Her name even has a little heart beside it. Pity that."_

 _With a quick squeeze of her hand, Quinn's phone shattered, and crumbled right before her eyes. Sue brushed her hands together, and then once on her pants, trying to get them clean._

" _I don't have to tell you how disappointed I am in you, Quinn. After that incident with that boy in Prague, when you brought back that… that_ thing. _I would have thought-"_

" _She had a name, Sue. She wasn't an incident, or a disappointment or a mistake, or a thing. She was a person. She was mine."_

" _She was a waste!" Sue was at Quinn's side at a flash, holding a fist centimeters from her face. "She was a waste of everything you could have been. I know that Brittany has been filling your mind with nonsense, but I thought you were better than that. She was going to hold you back from all that you could have achieved! The best thing I ever did was take that_ child _, and leave her behind."_

 _Quinn was even more incensed. "I spent_ years _looking for her! She was my baby, Sue, how could you?"_

 _Sue shrugged impassively. "What's done is done. It was for your own good, Quinn, trust me. You have a real chance now to take back everything that you ever wanted. You can have the power that you should have always claimed. Once the ceremony is complete."_

" _I will never forgive you, Sue."_

" _Then don't. Become more powerful than me. Challenge me. You of all people should know that I welcome a challenge." Sue sneered._

 _Quinn scoffed and looked away, trying to catch her breath from the upsurge in emotion._

" _You've taken so much from me already, Sue. Like you did to Brittany."_

" _And look! You will now be all the stronger because of it."_

" _And Brittany?"_

" _Well, she's a casualty that must be made. The rest of them as well. But, trust me, my dear Q, it will be well worth it."_

 _Quinn met her eyes with a steely glare. "What must I do?"_

" _Just follow me, and don't lose your way."_

\

Brittany marched the through the front door of the house, finding it surprisingly empty.

"Where is everyone?" Mumbled Mike, echoing her thoughts.

"I dunno, but I hear a rabble in Sue's rooms, we'll get the gang out of the wall and head down there together."

"What happens if Sue succeeds, Britt? Will we all really die?"

Brittany could hear the hesitation in his voice. She had known Mike for a long time, and he was definitely one of those she counted on in a tough situation. Their little run in with April had proven that. Of course, it wasn't the first time they'd met trouble, and by the look of things it wouldn't be the last, but she trusted him with everything, and she wanted him to know that he could trust her just the same.

She looked around the room, and then turned to meet his eye. "I don't know, Mike, but I don't intend on finding out. I'm going to do everything to stop this."

"But everyone helping Sue, they can't know what she's up to. Tina, Sugar, Quinn, Kurt? Do you really think they'd all turn on us?"

"Of course not." She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but could feel him vibrating with nerves. She squeezed a little to quiet him. "They don't know what's happening, but as soon as they do, they'll help us to stop her."

"What if it's too late?"

"We can't think like that, Mike. We've just got to keep our heads down and get through this. That's the only way. C'mon."

Brittany tugged him further into the house, and hearing no footsteps coming their way, she took a few more turns until they were in an abandoned hallway. She stood by the grandfather clock pushed up against the way, and listening carefully, smiled after a few moments. Pulling the clock away from the wall, Brittany revealed a doorway, and the rest of their group. She shoved Puck out of the way, and reached for Santana, pulling her inside and bringing her close to her chest.

"Nice to see you too." Puck said, rubbing his arm where she'd pushed him.

The rest of the group filed in, Puck setting Artie down in his chair, where Rachel had helped Jane to set it up. Brittany pulled herself away from Santana, smiling brightly.

"See, I told you think would be a piece of cake."

"No offense, Brittany, but that seemed to me to be the most likely part of our plan to go off without a hitch. If I'm not mistaken the difficulty ramps up considerably from here-"

"Well, then it's probably best if we don't think too much about it, and just press on." Santana said, giving her best smile to Rachel.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and they set off down the hall. Brittany moved up to the front to lead the way, and was pulling Santana in step beside her when Rachel tugged on Santana's arm. Giving Brittany a significant look, Santana stepped away, and walked more closely to Rachel.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't do that, Santana."

Santana frowned. "Do what, Rachel?"

"You're being far too nice to me for you to actually be thinking that we're going to make it out of this alive. You smiled at me earlier and I'm pretty sure my life flashed before my eyes."

"I just-"

"If you want to make us feel better, you should call me a name before we all think that you've been abducted by aliens and replaced by a toothless lookalike. We don't want nice Santana. We want the Santana that's going to grab Sue by the short hairs and show her what's what."

Rachel gave Santana a lopsided grin, that Santana couldn't help but return.

"Fine, Hobbit. Have it your way."

"That's my girl." Rachel said, giving Santana's butt a light slap.

Santana turned sharply, pointing a finger at Rachel.

"Don't push it, Berry."

Rachel only giggled as Santana walked to join Brittany, grabbing her hand as she walked past. Puck shouldered Artie, and Sam grabbed his chair, following them down the hall.

Santana only knew about the house what Brittany had told her, which wasn't much. It was a lot more comfortable than she had pictured in in her mind. While she had expected vaulted ceilings and ravens sitting on bookshelves, she found that the decor was definitely quite contemporary. Instead of darkened hallways, lit only by torchlight, their path was lit by several modern looking light fixtures that laid flush with the ceiling.

Santana had never been in the house before, she was sure of that, but she was hit with the feeling of deja vu, that she'd somehow experienced this before. She gripped Brittany's hand a little tighter, looking warily from side to side.

"What's wrong?" Brittany whispered close to her ear.

"Nothing. I'm just- I just don't want to get seperated from you."

Brittany pulled her closer still, and Santana knew that she'd been caught in the lie, but she didn't question it. They walked down another hallway, finally ending up at another doorway that opening to a stairwell leading down. The staircase was almost pitch black with a faint light beckoning to them from the other end.

Brittany tugged gently on Santana's arm. She could see that she was already dreading the walk downstairs, in the dark and cramped space.

"We're just going to do it one step at a time. And I'm going to be beside you the whole way."

She looked at Santana with concern, but Santana simply shook her off.

"You don't have to worry about me, Britt. I'm surrounded by some of the fiercest people that I know, I don't think that a little thing like the dark is going to keep me from going down there and kicking Sue's ass."

Brittany smiled, pulling Santana in for a chaste kiss to the cheek. "That's my girl." She echoed Rachel from earlier, even including a soft butt slap that had Santana grinning.

"Don't push it, Pierce."

The smile fell from Santana's face as she took her first step down the dark stairwell. Brittany had pushed her a little behind, covering her a bit with her shoulder. Brittany could already hear the voices from down the stairs, Sue's voice loudest of all as she called for order. There was no point in trying to sneak, it seemed like the ceremony was already beginning, and she knew no one would be paying close attention to the stairs. No one except for Sue, of course. She pushed Santana a bit more behind her as she moved fluidly down the stairs. The voices grew louder and louder still, but Brittany kept one ear trained on Santana's heartbeat, which was growing quicker by the second.

The reached the bottom step and the room opened up considerably. Brittany couldn't remember the last time she'd been in Sue's crypt, but she'd never seen it so full. Their entire clan was there, and there were others, a few that Brittany didn't recognize. She took a few steps forward, to allow everyone to fit behind her, and felt Puck and Mike come stand close to her side. No one turned to look towards the stairway, and they might as well have been invisible as far Sue and her group were concerned. It seemed like they were all focused on the top of Sue's crypt. She hoped they weren't too late. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another voice.

"It took you long enough." Sue turned towards them, grinning. As if on cue, the others turned as well, and Brittany saw the faces of all her clanmates, including Quinn. She gave Quinn a significant look.

"Well, you know me, I like to make an entrance." Santana said, crossing her arms.

"I don't know you, actually, and it looks like I won't get a chance to. I'd say I'm sorry to hear that, but there's no use in lying now, is there? Especially when you'll be dead soon anyway."

Brittany broke in before Sue could focus in anymore on Santana. "It's over, Sue. We know what you're trying to do, and it won't work."

"Over? Oh, Brittany, I'm just getting started."

"Take them." Said Quinn in a flat voice.

"Wait!"

Rachel's voice rang out as clear as a bell in the cacophony.

"Quinn what are you doing? You know what Sue is up to, how can you help her?"

The struggle was evident in Quinn's eyes as she regarded Rachel. She exhaled slowly and squeezed her eyes shut before answering.

"You don't understand, Rachel. I have to do this. I have to become more powerful. I have to be strong enough-"

"Strong enough for what?" Rachel interrupted.

"Oh, enough of this already! You all heard Quinn the first time, get them. We have a ceremony to finish." Sue broke in.

"Wait!"

It was Santana this time speaking, holding up her hands to the crowd that was advancing on them. She felt she was back at April's facing down a gang of powerful enemies, but for the first time since their day had started, she felt more optimistic than ever.

"You all know what this is about, don't you? Do you know why Brittany is trying to stop her?"

"I've already told them. Brittany betrayed her clan for a _human_. She's no longer welcome here. She's the one that's been organizing the attacks with April. She's the reason that Rory and Matt were almost taken from us. You won't convince them with your lies." Sue scoffed.

"You can't really believe that, can you?" Santana directed this question to the group. "After everything she's been through with you all over all these years? After everything you're still going through? Do you really think Brittany would betray you? And you would trust Sue of all people?" Santana pleaded.

"They don't have to trust me. They can ask Quinn. Isn't that right, Q? She's the one behind the attacks."

Sue looked at Quinn for a long moment before Quinn nodded, casting her eyes downward.

"See?" Sue mocked, triumphantly.

Brittany was shocked. She would have expected something so duplicitous from Sue. But Quinn? She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Quinn, how could you-? How could you stand with her like this? Against me? I thought we were sisters, Quinn? I thought you loved me."

Quinn didn't say a word, turning away from Brittany and keeping her eyes trained on Sue.

"So, there's nothing else to say. You all know what we do to betrayers. Luckily, Brittany and her friends will make a terrific sacrifice for the ceremony tonight."

Santana tried again. "Kurt? Sugar? You're going to tell me that you believe Sue's lies? That Brittany would put your lives in danger, if she could help it?"

Santana saw the hesitation in Sugar's face, but Kurt lifted his chin and walked over towards them immediately.

"I knew there was something off about this whole thing. When I didn't see you, Britt, I knew that whatever it was, I had to stop it. That's the only reason I came down here in the first place."

He stood beside Blaine, squeezing his shoulder gently as he passed.

"Oh, well, there you go. If the only person you can sway towards your side is the gay, white hope, you're going to have a hard time of it."

"That's only because the rest don't know what you're really up to, Sue." Brittany said, pointing to the group. "Why do you all think she's so desperate for that power? And why April was so dead set on her having it? She didn't want the relic, she just wanted Sue to stop what she was doing. If Sue does this ritual, all from the Ameni line will be killed. All of us. Not just those of us who stand on this side of the line."

She nodded towards a few of the vampires still standing beside Sue. "Rory, you and Matt, Kitty and Rick. You're all in danger if this goes through. If she does this, we all die. Tina, you certainly wouldn't put it past Sue to do something like this."

"But Sue wouldn't just do that, Brittany. I can't- She wouldn't-?" Tina started.

"And I would?" Brittany voice was louder now. It burned with anger that she didn't know she had. Sue was here, now, threatening not just Santana, and the people that had joined her to fight, but everyone in that room. She had called her a coward and a Judas, and for some reason it made Brittany want to send a fist through her abdomen.

She turned to Tina.

"You're saying that I would betray all of you? The Brittany that you have known for almost two hundred years? The Brittany that taught you how to cook pancakes, and flew with you, when you were just learning how, and let you climb into bed with me when you were sad and missing your family?"

She turned to the rest of the group. "And how about the rest of you? How many times have I sacrificed for you, and cheered for you, and held your hand? I didn't do it for accolades, or because I wanted the credit, I did it because I love every single one of you. And yeah, maybe I fell hard for a human. I love her too. But, that doesn't change our past. That wouldn't change me!"

Brittany was breathing hard, and felt Santana behind her, reaching for her hand. She grabbed it, holding on tightly.

"If I'm going to die, it's not going to be at Sue's hand, and it won't be considered as a coward and a fraud by the people that I care about the most. It's time to end this, Sue. One way or another. We're here to stop you."

"Oh please. As if you could even try." Sue said, and with a flick of her hand, Brittany found herself tumbling backward, and into a nearby wall. She was dazed but looked around to see Santana standing where she had been, looking concernedly in her direction.

The room exploded at that moment, with the others who had been waiting on a final conclusion jumping into the fray. Brittany shook her head a few times, and before she could react, Sue was standing over her, grinning evilly.

"I've got to hand it to you, Pierce. You've really made things quite difficult for me."

Brittany felt a hand around her neck, and and felt herself being lifted off the ground.

"It's not over yet, Sue." She responded, struggling against Sue's grip.

"Oh, it is. You just don't know it yet. You'll get the picture.

Mike and Puck squared off against a few of the clan, and beyond them, Sam and Mercedes, were pushing Artie like a battering ram, chucking the bottles filled with Will's garlic/holy water/silver concoction at anyone in their path. Kurt stood in front of Blaine, blocking blows from another vampire so fast that Blaine couldn't even follow his hands. And beyond all that, Rachel slowly crawled underneath the fray, reaching nearby to the crypt and stopping behind a pillar.

"Quinn!" She hissed, cupping her hands so Quinn could hear her.

Quinn ignored her, continuing to act as though a loose thread on her jacket was the most interesting thing in the world, and Rachel tried again.

"Quinn, please." Rachel couldn't help the touch of emotion that crept into her voice, and Quinn had no choice but to turn around.

"What, Rachel?"

"You can't do this Quinn. You have to help Brittany. I thought you cared about her? I thought you cared about me…"

Quinn turned, taking a few steps towards Rachel, and then thinking better of it, bringing her hands in fists to her sides.

"It's not that, Rachel. Once this is done, I can protect you the way that I should have been protecting you all along. I can do what I should have done a hundred years ago. I can defeat Sue."

Rachel looked confused. "You can do that now. If you help Brittany-"

"Do you really think you all can defeat Sue? Look, I love Brittany, I do, but I'm also worthless to her in this fight. There's no point in going against Sue right now, but once she finishes the ceremony-"

"Brittany will be dead."

The words fell like lead from Rachel's mouth, and Quinn winced.

"I know, and I hate that. But, we're all going sometimes. I can't stand against Sue like this, not alone-"

"You're not alone, Quinn. Brittany is with you, and Santana, and Puck and Mike and all the rest. And me."

Rachel shuffled over, kneeling at Quinn's feet.

"I-I really, um, well, I really care about you a lot Quinn. But, we need you now. Brittany needs you. If you don't help her, you're not the person that I thought you were."

"I never was!" Quinn shouted, bringing the heels of her fists to her eyes. "You thought I was some amazing, powerful creature who-"

"What? No. Don't be silly." Rachel scolded. "You're the person who held me the night after the opera and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. You're the person who listens to me talk about on the phone for hours when there's something really important that I have to get off my chest, which more often than not is not particularly interesting to other people, generally speaking. You're the person who will go to that bakery that I like to get my special chai tea, and have it still piping hot when you arrive. I don't like you because of what you are, Quinn. I like you because of who you are."

"Oh, Rachel." Quinn knelt down next to Rachel, taking her hands.

"I've learned Quinn, that sometimes falling with a friend is better than standing with an enemy. Win or lose, I will be with my friends when this is all over. I hope that you can say the same."

In her corner of the crypt, Brittany could feel the edges of her vision going dark, and suddenly, without warning, she could breath and see again. She focused her eyes quickly and saw Sue swinging wildly from side to side. Santana was on her back, arm wrapped around her throat, punching and kicking for all she was worth. After a moment, Sue tossed her off like a ragdoll, and went back to advancing on Brittany, but she was ready this time, and moved like a flash to Sue's side, lifting her up, and slamming her down on the ground.

Sue only snarled, and with a movement of her hand, sent a piece of the nearby wall crashing towards Brittany. Santana was still too close, so instead of dodging, she covered Santana with her own body, putting out her hands to keep them from slamming into another wall, and sucking in her breath sharply as the slab of stone hit her back. The pair crumpled to the ground, and Brittany tried to get her bearings as Sue skulked towards them.

"You have got to do better, Pierce. Do you see what happened when Quinn let go of these petty relationships? She is going to find herself at a place of her greatest reward, while you, on the other hand, will only find failure. It's really quite the lesson-"

Sue's monologue was cut off by a yelp as Brittany swung her leg out, catching Sue's ankle and sending her tumbling to the floor.

Brittany was up on her feet in an instant, and felt Santana rise beside her. The touch on her arm made her cringe with pain. Her arm was probably broken but she didn't have the time to worry about it.

"Are you okay, Brittany?"

"It's fine. I'm going to be okay. Just keep moving, and don't let her get a bead on you."

Santana nodded, and without a word, the two headed in separate directions, walking in an arch around Sue.

The part of the wall that Sue had dislodged was a load bearing one, and it collapsed partially, sending another section of the ceiling crashing down.

"Look out, Will!" Jane shouted.

Will looked up, as the wall headed directly for his head. Hee could only stare and at the last millisecond close his eyes to await the impending doom. But it never came. He opened his eyes to see the stone float for a few moments of it's own volition, and then fly across the room. Turning, he saw Sue with her arm still raised, standing behind him.

"Why-" He started, but his question went unanswered as he was tackled from behind by another figure.

Sue turned away and and refocused her attention on Brittany.

"Now, where were we?"

Santana couldn't see clearly, but Brittany noticed it quickly from where she was standing. Sue's eyes were going from their normal blue to irises that were deep red.

"Santana, get back!" She shouted, as she ran at Sue.

"Britt-"

"Get back!" She yelled, reaching for Sue's shoulders that had begun to shake. Santana took a few steps back, and watched as Sue's form began to shift right before her eyes.

"What's- what's happening?"

Santana took a few steps further back, and stifled a gasp as she saw that in the space that Sue had been standing in only a few moments before, there was now a very pissed off looking tiger.

The tiger roared, and the room seemed to pause. Brittany had her arms around the beast's' neck, and was hanging on for dear life. Santana looked around desperately, and with a roar of her own, grabbed a nearby plank that had dislodged itself from the wall, racing towards the pair, arms above her head.

"You didn't tell me that she could shapeshift!" Santana shouting, sending a few resounding thwacks to the animal around the head with the board.

"Well, it didn't really come up." Brittany panted, just doing her best to hold on to the bucking tiger.

One particularly violent leap later, Brittany found herself sailing through the air, and landing with a shattering thump, headfirst into the ground. She shook herself, and it took more than a few shakes to clear her head, so she tried to get herself right side up and took a look around.

Santana lay flat on her back, and Sue (in her human form), knelt beside her. Brittany could only assume that Santana had been hit when she'd been knocked away. Brittany rolled to one side, trying to lift herself up, but her arm gave out under her. She yelped in pain. The break would only get worse the more she tried to use her arm, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had to get to Santana. She pushed herself up with her other arm, rolling away from the broken one, and slowly rising to her feet.

"Sue!" She shouted above the rabble.

Sue didn't bother to turn around, but Brittany felt a hard shove in her back that sent her sprawling. She looked up from where she lay, and saw Tina standing over her.

"Tina, I don't have time for this."

"For what? Abandoning our crew, betraying us? For a human."

Brittany scoffed. "You really don't buy that do you, Tina? I would have thought you were smarter than that."

She kept her eye on Santana, crawling slowly towards her, before shakily attempting to get back to her feet. Her feet were kicked from under her again by Tina, and the wind was knocked out of her as she hit the ground.

"Goddammit, Tina, I told you-"

"And I told you! Look at you, Brittany. You can barely stand, and you're still trying to get to her. You'd do anything for her."

Brittany rounded on Tina, rolling over, and standing up even more quickly than before. "As if I haven't done the same for you a hundred times over! I told you Tina, yes, I love Santana, but if you would think that I would betray all of you, then you don't know me at all. Or maybe you do, and you've just forgotten."

Brittany grabbed Tina with both hands before she could react, and slammed her up against a nearby wall. She did her best to hold on while Tina struggled, ignoring the pain that radiated from her arm, shoulder, and now a new pain from her ribs. They were probably broken, but she didn't care, lifting Tina higher, and ignoring the kicks that were landing right in a sore area.

"You're a fool if you would listen to Sue over me. That's not the person I know. I don't even know if I could have ever counted you as a friend."

She snarled in Tina's face, baring her fangs in anger. Tina shrunk away, lowering her eyes. Brittany almost let her rage get the better of her, until she heard a faint cry from behind her.

"Brittany."

She turned back to see Sue lifting Santana up with one arm, exposing her neck and bringing her mouth closer still. She dropped Tina, and was behind them in an instant, just in time to see Sue's teeth bite down onto Santana's neck.

\

" _Santana?"_

" _Mami?"_

 _Santana shook her head a few times to clear her vision. Her mind had been getting clearer as she had descended the steps. but seeing her mother's emaciated body on the nearby bed was like ice water down her spine. She covered the distance between them in record time, and crashing to the ground beside where her mother lay. She put her hand on her Julieta's arm._

" _Mami! C'mon we've got to go. What's happened to you? Papi…. Something has happened to Papi, and we need to go home!"_

 _She shook her mother's arm, fitfully. She'd never seen her mother strung out before, but she'd caught glimpses of her before, after days of partying, looking worse for wear. Her father would send her to the Jones' on those days, but would always come by in the morning to drive her and Mercedes to school._

 _But now, Julieta Lopez looked like only a ghost of her former self. Her jet, black hair looked dull and listless, her dark sepia skin tight around her lips and eyes, and her clothes hanging in billowy waves around her. A quick look into her mother's eyes told Santana all she needed to know. She shook her again._

" _Mami, vamos aqui. We have to go."_

 _It took a few moments for Julieta's eyes to clear and they focused on her daughter._

" _Santana? What are you doing here? Mi amor! You have to go! It's not safe!" Her voice was raspy and weak, but what little strength she had she used to push Santana away from the bed, and struggle to get up._

 _Santana helped her into the sitting position, noticing that she was wearing only a thin slip, which provided no protection against the bitter chill that had seeped into the room. She placed the thin blanket around her shoulders, but her mother pushed her shakily away._

" _No, no, there's no time. They will be back soon. You have to get out of here!"_

 _Santana was confused. "I know, Mami. We'll go together. I'll help you."_

 _Julieta froze, looking up at Santana with a raised eyebrow. "Together? No, Santana, I can't leave. I will stay here, you must go."_

" _Didn't you hear what I told you, Mami? Papi is… He's dead. He_ _ **died**_ _tonight. Rick came to the Jones' and he told me. Mami, what are we going to do?"_

 _Santana didn't want to cry. She'd been trying not to cry all night. She'd been holding back tears and blinking them away as soon as they formed. But she felt like she was trying to outrun a boulder that was chasing her down hill. No matter how fast she ran, it was always going a bit faster. Suddenly the events of the night came crashing down around her, and she couldn't hold it in anymore. With a slight wail, she sunk to the ground, collapsing under the weight of her own sadness._

 _Ever since her parents had started having problems, Santana had always felt the need to be strong. Not because she wanted to prove anything, but because she thought that maybe (just maybe) if they didn't have to worry about her, they could focus on their own issues, and maybe (just maybe) they could figure out that they belonged together after all. But, it was a hard burden for a child to bear, and it took it's toll. It made her mean sometimes, and it made her angry. She'd internalized it for as long as she could, but sometimes it was just too much._

 _Santana felt the cool ground on her forehead, but she still felt hot. Too hot. And the sobs that were wracking her body didn't seem like they would ever stop. Slowly, she heard the bed creak beside her, and felt her mother's presence by her side. Arms slid around her, not with much strength at first, but tighter and tighter until she felt like she was being held together. Until she felt like she could stop falling apart._

 _She wasn't sure how long they laid together there, on the floor, but finally Santana's sobs became more and more quiet, and she felt like she could breathe again._

" _Santana." Julieta whispered._

 _Santana didn't answer, but turned her head, pressing it into her mother's lap._

" _Santana, you have to go by yourself. You have to leave this place, and never come back."_

 _Santana felt her heart in her chest. "Pero, Mami-"_

" _I'm sorry, Santana. But I can't leave. They have me, I'm a part of this place now, and I can't leave. But you can. You have to. You can be free. The blood that runs through your veins is not like mine. You have a choice."_

" _And you don't?"_

" _I have one choice. That's to see my daughter be safe. Look at me, Santana."_

 _Santana raised her eyes to her mother, and the drowning feel that had been her constant companion all evening seemed to lift. The room became deadly quiet, and her mother's features were clear in her mind._

" _You will run, as fast as you can, and as far as you can. You won't stop until you get somewhere safe, do you understand. You will go and you will forget everything that's happened here."_

 _Santana blinked slowly. "I..don't… I don't want to…"_

" _Santana!" Her mother's voice was like a bell, resounding in the cavities of her brain. "Santana, you will go, and forget all of this. You will be free. And you will remember that I love you, mi amor. Te amo mi Santanita. Never forget that, Santana."_

 _Santana nodded dumbly. The events of the night were receding in her mind, and all that remained was her mother's voice; clear and crisp, her mother's face; soft and gentle, her mother's hands; warm and comforting, her mother's eyes; fierce and flaming. She sighed and closed her eyes, nodding again._

 _Santana stood up, shaking herself, and turned towards the small window in the basement. As soon as she had, she felt her mind slipping away. She knew she'd been talking to someone, but she wasn't sure who. She knew that something important had just happened, but she wasn't sure what. She shook herself again, but one directive stood out in her mind._

 _Run._

 _Santana moved quickly towards the window, yanking at the wood that covered it, and prying at mesh until it bent and turned enough for her to create a space big enough for her to wiggle through. She had just gotten her shoulders through the window when she heard a voice behind her._

" _What the-! I swear, I leave you two alone for ten minutes and this is what happens. Get back here!"_

 _White, hot terror gripped Santana. She'd only had one instruction, and it still rung clearly in her head. She kicked her legs out, feeling a soft give where it made contact with a body. She heard a grunt, and pulled harder on the window, freeing her arms, and pushing forward with all of her strength. She was on her feet almost immediately, and running forward as fast as she could. She hadn't picked a direction, but just ran, her feet pounding the ground beneath her._

" _Santana!" A male voice called behind her. "Santana, stop!"_

 _The voice was like honey; sickly sweet and sticky. Santana could feel her feet becoming heavy and leaden. She could feel herself slowing. Suddenly another voice cut through the air. It was simultaneously familiar and alien to her._

" _Don't stop, Santana. Don't stop."_

 _It was like she'd been held by rubber bands, and in that moment, they were cut and she was free. The heaviness left her bones, and her feet shook themselves loose from the muck. Santana bounded off into the night, leaving the house and its inhabitants behind her._

\

Brittany saw red.

She couldn't think, couldn't speak. It was like every piece of her humanity was ripped to shreds in that instant. She didn't even have to consider pushing Tina out the way. There was no moment for her to think. She was past Tina. She was on top of Sue. She was biting down on her neck.

Sue screamed, trying to pry her off, but Brittany's teeth were locked in a vice grip on her throat, and she pulled, snapping tendons and bursting blood vessels as she ground through Sue's flesh.

Santana fell away, and the din in Brittany's ears subsided ever so much. But it was replaced by a pressure on her skull, and after a few moments she thought that her head was going to explode. She released her jaws, and found herself flung back across the room, the room still red, but this time from her own blood dripping down her forehead.

"You insolent child! This is how you repay me?! This is how you repay my kindness?! I will tear her apart, limb from limb, and you will witness my power!" Sue thundered.

The red returned to Sue's eyes, and Brittany watched as she changed shape again, this time into a huge silver backed gorilla. She turned her back to Brittany and stalked over to where Santana lay curled up by a nearby wall. Sue raised her huge arms, high above her head, balling them up into great fists to bring them down.

"No." Croaked, Brittany. She tried to move, but was only on her knees before Sue's arms came crashing down. She lurched forward, but before Sue could meet her mark, there was a dark blur, and Sue was flat on her back, a whirlwind of teeth and claws on top of her.

Brittany didn't hesitate, and rushed over to Santana, ignoring the pain shooting through her every limb. She kneeled beside her, shaking her as she groggily opened her eyes.

"Santana! Are you okay?"

Santana narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then smiled as she met Brittany's gaze.

"Yeah, I was distracting her. Did it work?"

Brittany didn't respond, but simply pulled Santana into a tight embrace. She was up on her feet a moment later, pulling Santana up as well, and dodging flying fists and bodies as she made her way to the altar where the relic lay.

"I saw something, Britt. When Sue bit me. I remembered something I think I was supposed to forget."

"What did you see?"

"My mother. My mother was there. Maybe she was turned, I'm not sure, but I saw her, the night my father was killed. She told me to leave her, and I had to. I didn't want to, but something inside me wouldn't let me stay-"

Santana's voice became quicker and almost hysterical. Brittany smoothed a hand over her hair, and put a firm palm on the back of her neck.

"I saw it too, Santana. I saw it when I bit Sue. The memory was still fresh in her mind, so it came into mine. She forced you to leave, Santana. You didn't have a choice."

"But does that mean my mother was a vampire? Does that mean-?"

"I'm not sure what it means. It could mean a lot. But, I don't know if we have time to get into it now." Brittany raised Santana's head until she was looking into her eyes. "But I swear to you I will help you find out. Once this is all said and done, we will figure it out together, okay?"

Santana nodded and her vision seemed to clear. She peeked out from behind the vestibule. The gorilla had become a huge python, and had wrapped itself around its enemy, a large black panther. She gasped.

"Who is that?"

"It's Quinn."

Santana and Brittany turned to Rachel, who was crouched beside them. There was a faint look of pride mixed with sadness on her face.

"She did it. She always told me that she wanted to be a good person, but she hadn't known how. She's doing it now."

"No." Santana shook her head. "Sue is too powerful, Quinn won't be able to stop her. She'll be killed."

"Then we have to stop this." Brittany said, standing up. She reached across Sue's crypt and grabbed the relic, holding it high above her head.

"Sue!" She shouted. "Sue, put a stop to this now, or I will destroy this thing!"

The action of the room seemed to come to a screeching halt. Punches were held in the air, mid throw. Kicks stopped in mid arch. The eyes of everyone landed on Brittany, and she swallowed uncomfortably. She relaxed a bit when she felt a hand in the small of her back. Santana's ragged breathing betrayed the physical pain that she was in, but she stood tall beside Brittany, silently lending her strength.

The python had shifted again, and Sue was a tiger once more. With a great swipe of her paw, the panther was swatted away, and landed with a thud on it's side. She had barely stopped rolling before Quinn was in her normal form again, bleeding heavily from her side. She didn't move where she'd landed, and Brittany could barely see her chest move, her breathing was so shallow.

The tiger shifted, and Sue was back to normal. Any wounds that she had sustained seemed only minor, and except for the gash on her neck where Brittany had bitten her, she didn't seem to be all that worse for wear.

But the triumphant smile that she had worn since the beginning of their battle fell away, leaving an angry snarl in it's place.

"I cannot believe this!" She bellowed, rolling her eyes. "Quinn? You too? For a human?! I would have believed it from Rain Woman over there, but from you? I thought you were too smart for that."

Rachel ran over to where Quinn lay, pressing a hand into her wounds to try and stop the bleeding.

"Because she knows that with you, Sue, there's only death. She knows that she would rather be right than safe." Rachel said, tears filling her eyes.

"Oh fine, fine. Be righteous, but look where it got her! Now she's going to die, and for what? So, Brittany can have her happily ever after? What about me, huh? What about Sue? Do you know how long I've been waiting for this plan to come to fruition? I had to wait until the perfect time to strike. I had to find the artifact. I had to get all of you right here, right now. Here in New York! I hate this place! I've never hated a place as much as I hate this place, but I came here. I got Kresnick to come and build me this godforsaken castle so I could tolerate it. And it's not even working! I hate it as much as I ever did. And what did I trade for this place? A guarantee that I would never let any harm befall his line. Do you know how many times I've wanted to snap the neck of that disgusting little pissant?" She pointed at Will. "And his annoying ancestors? All this trouble, all this struggle and for what? For Quinn Fabray to finally grow a conscience?"

Sue circled towards them, and Brittany kept the relic held high, putting her body between Sue and Santana.

"And what about you? Do you know how long it took me to convince you that you'd killed your family? To really convince you? You don't even remember, do you? Well, I remember. The begging of your parents when I ripped them open. Your sisters mewling like lost kittens when I drank them dry."

Santana gasped, and looked quickly at Brittany. The hard edge in her eyes became a fire, and Santana wrapped the arm she had been resting on her back around Brittany's waist, trying to keep her steady.

"Why?" Brittany croaked, never breaking her eye contact with Sue.

"Because, Brittany." Sue said, as if talking to a child. "Because I needed you here tonight. Haven't you ever wondered why you have so many powers, and only a few bugs? Or the bugs that would normally kill anyone else seem to not affect you as badly? Your blood, Brittany. You come from a long line of vampires, but your blood was diluted. When your parents came together, they strengthened it, but you maintained your humanity. Your sisters would have been gifted as well, but they were too young to be of any real use. I needed you, and I needed you to trust me, so I did what I had to do, and now your sacrifice will power my rise."

"Not if I destroy this. Not if I destroy you."

"Oh please. You're powerful, but not that powerful. Your friend Quinn here was the best bet to defeat me, but she's too weak. Her blood diluted to the point where she's barely a good human, much less a vampire. But she insisted, she wanted to be stronger. She drank human blood every day like a good, little girl, and she's still unable to do what needs to be done. Pity that."

"So, you just expect me to lay down and let my bloodline be destroyed?"

"We're talking about the greater good here, Brittany. Yes, the Ameni will pay the price, but think of what vampires will be gaining. We will lose our bugs, we will truly be immortal, and we will take over the world! That is what matters. I would gladly have made the sacrifice if the shoe was on the other foot."

"You said that she was lying, Sue. You said that we wouldn't all die." Rory stood up from where he was tangled with Mike, his lip bloody from battle. "Now you're saying she's right?"

Sue rolled her eyes. "Fine. Is that what you want to hear? Yes, yes, the Ameni will die. But luckily for me, there are more Meti in my clan than Ameni, so I'm not really worried about it."

"Well, you should be." Tina stepped forward. "Because I'm not letting you wipe out our clan, and everyone who's here, just in your insane quest for power."

"You too, Tina? Just imagine all that we can accomplish once our blood is clean. We will be unstoppable."

Tina walked towards Brittany, joining Santana at her side.

"I won't help you do this, Sue."

"Fine, then I'll do it myself."

Sue approached them quickly, but instead of grabbing the artifact, her hands were around Santana, and she was retreated across the room.

"Santana!" Brittany screamed. She took a few steps forward, but Sue's hands were in her robes and out like a flash, and she had a knife pressed against Santana's throat.

"Don't do anything you'll regret, Brittany. This isn't the time for rash action."

"Brittany, you have to destroy it." Santana said, pulling against Sue's arm.

"Do it, and she dies." Sue squeezed Santana a bit tighter, pushing the knife blade against her throat, drawing a small line of red across the copper skin.

Santana stopped her struggle, but spoke up again. "Don't do it, and you die, and if you die, I die anyway, Brittany."

"If you die, I die." Brittany said, her voice catching with tension.

"Brittany, it's not just you who will die. Everyone with your blood will die. Mike, Puck, Matt, April. Everyone is counting on you. They need you to destroy that thing."

Brittany brought her hands down from over her head, holding the relic out in front of her.

"I can't think about anyone else right now, Santana. I would rather die and meet you in the next life, than lose you now and live an eternity without you." Tears were falling down Brittany's face, mixing with the dust, and blood as they streaked down. She didn't even bother to wipe them away.

"Brittany, please." Santana was crying as well, but she held a hand out towards her. "You can't, you can't do this."

"I'm sorry, Santana." Brittany lowered her arms, holding out the relic to Sue who pushed Santana to the side, and scooped it up, retreating to her crypt. Brittany went to Santana's side, holding her close. "I'm so sorry."

Santana returned the embrace with a bitter smile. "It's okay, Britt. We'll figure this out. It's okay."

"Well, isn't this touching. I'm really getting a little emotional over here." Sue sniffed dramatically. "Now, your blood, if you'd be so kind."

Brittany pulled away from Santana, opening up her palm to Sue, who used the knife to draw a deep line there. She held the relic under Brittany's hand, catching the drops that fell onto it's surface.

"Very good. Now, onto eternity."

With that, Sue turned a crank, and bright moonlight spilled into the chamber from a hidden skylight. She placed the artifact on the crypt, and raised her hands above it. There was a grating noise, as the crypt began to shake.

Brittany's skin began to feel as if it was being seared off, and she wrapped her arms around herself trying to shut out the pain.

"Brittany!" Santana yelled.

'This isn't how this is supposed to end.' Santana thought to herself. She watched Brittany for a few more moments, and looked over at Sue. She had to keep her promise. She had to protect the woman that she loved.

With a yell, Santana catapulted herself across the room, directly into Sue, who yelled and tumbled backward. There was another yell, and Brittany stood behind the crypt to where Sue and Santana were still intertwined.

"Will you get off of me!" Sue boomed, pushing at Santana frantically.

"I've got this!" Will shouted out behind them. "Ooof."

Brittany turned just in time to see Will lose his footing on an outcropping of stone, and the liquid he was tossing towards Sue spread, catching her in it's deluge.

She fell immediately, covering her face and hands, and trying not to pass out from the combination of the fumes from Will's mixture, and her own pain from the wounds she'd already sustained. She heard Sue scream as well, and flipped over to see Sue (still stuck under Santana), swatting away the liquid as she struggled to free herself.

"Maybe you should, like, relax. I'll handle it." Sugar turned towards them, and outstretched her hand, and with what little strength she had left, Brittany pressed forward, covering Santana as best she could with her own body, and rolling them both away from Sue.

The flames missed them almost completely, and instead engulfed the top of Sue's crypt. The artifact seemed to catch rather quickly, and the crypt rapidly erupted in flames.

The room once again erupted in chaos as everyone raced in different directions, trying to escape the flames. Santana stood, and pulled Brittany up with her, bearing her weight on her shoulder. Brittany could do little more than lean hard on Santana, doing her best to hobble along beside her.

They had only walked a few steps before Sue blocked their path.

"You…" She breathed. "I am going to kill both of you. I don't even care about the relic anymore. I don't care about the power. I'm just going to make sure that you two don't draw another breath on this Earth."

"Deal with it, Sue. You lost fair and square. You fought us and we beat you. It's over." Santana said.

"Oh, it's far from over. I'm going to make you suffer for what you've done."

"Not if I get to you first."

Sue whipped around, and was face to face with Sugar, who wore a rather triumphant look on her face.

"Sugar?" You're one of us. How could you do this to me? After everything I've done for you."

"The only thing you've done for me is make me hate everything about myself, Sue. And I won't let you do it anymore. Step away from my friends."

"Do you really think it's that easy?" Sue turned completely, and began advancing on Sugar. "You think it's over just like that? There are other powers on this planet. Powers that are even stronger than that relic you just destroyed. I will find them, and I will activate them, and I will come back here-"

Sue had been steadily walking towards Sugar, and reached out a hand to grab her. Sugar only raised her hands, pointing her own fingers in return.

"Oh, shut up, Sue." A white hot arch of light branched from each of her fingertips and slammed into Sue's chest. She screamed, stumbling backwards. A quick movement, and she was gone. Santana pulled Brittany closer to the crypt and saw that Sue had fallen over the edge of her own drainage pit. The hole was dark, and seemed to go on forever. Sue's yells echoed off of the walls.

Santana looked up at Sugar. "More fire, huh?"

"She's weak against it. I figured I had as good a chance as anybody."

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to spend anymore time in burning houses." Brittany wheezed, holding on to Santana tightly.

"Good idea." Sugar positioned herself on the other side of Brittany, and along with Santana, raced up the stairs.

\

Santana did a quick head count as they arrived on the cool grass outside of the manor. The group that she had brought along were all accounted for, though a little worse for wear. As far as she could tell, she and Brittany had gotten the worst of it, with Jane having to be the only person who had to be carried out. But after a few moments laying down, and moving all of her toes in rapid succession, she was up on her feet as well, though Santana was certain she'd need to take a few Aleve the next day.

Santana sat down with Brittany beside her, holding her close. They were far enough away from the house that they weren't in any danger, but the flames shooting out of every window and door made for a rather cozy sight, considering the circumstances.

"I guess I'm going to take this as proof that you won."

A cheery voice behind made the group turn around.

April stood there with some of her crew. Santana recognized a few of them. Madison and Mason as well as Lauren, a few others, and Raze sheepishly near the back of the group.

"Yeah, we stopped her. We didn't have much of a choice." Brittany said, resignedly.

"If you'd just listened to me in the first place, it wouldn't have come to this."

"No, probably not."

April sighed. "Well, seeing as now you're homeless, I'd like to invite your clan to come and join me, if they'd like. I know that you all aren't bad people. Just fell in with a bad leader. And there's no shame in that."

"No way." Said Rory, stepping forward. "Sue is gone, and we walk with Brittany now. She'll be the one to lead us."

"Right on." Said Mike, stepping forward as well.

The words of agreement went around the circle, until almost everyone was standing by Brittany's side. She gave Santana a soft squeeze and stood up.

"Hey. Hey, Rory, everybody, this is amazing." She patted Rory on the shoulder. "Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for protecting me, and protecting the woman that I love. That means a lot to me. But, I can't be your leader."

"But Britt-"

"I know it's what you want. But it's not what I want. I don't even know if I want to be a vampire anymore. I just want to be with Santana. And I can't do that if I'm leading a clan. Go with April. She's going to take care of you. She'll do right by you. Isn't that right, Raze?"

Raze, who had been standing towards the back of the group, looked up with a half grin. There was a new, stark scar standing out from the paleness of their skin. They nodded.

"Yeah, she will."

"See?"

"But Brittany-" It was Puck now, who approached, looking at her through lowered lashes. "Does that mean that you're leaving us?"

"What? No way. You're not getting rid of me that easily. I just can't lead you, Puck. My heart- Well, my heart is someplace else."

Puck smiled, and Brittany returned it. "We've just been through too much for me to get used to the idea of you not being around, Britt."

"I'm telling you, it's not going to happen. You'll be begging to get rid of me, now that I know all about my newfound power." She flexed an arm, and grimaced when she felt bone grind against bone.

"Well, since that's settled, how about we show you all to your new digs? Chez April awaits."

The group began to disperse and head off in their own directions. Brittany broke away from Santana and hugged her crew, whispering her promises to see them again. She held Mike and Puck a little longer than the others, and watched them walk away, a wistful look in their eyes. Santana could only join her, hugging her closely from behind.

"It's been a long time with them." Brittany murmured, pulling Santana's arms more fully around her, ignoring the pain that still radiated there.

"It's not over. You said so yourself." Santana said, into her shoulder.

"I know, but it's different now. It's really different."

"Bad different?"

Brittany turned in Santana's arms, wrapping her own arms around her.

"With you? Never."

Brittany dipped her head until she met Santana's lips, for a long and slow kiss. They stood there lost for a moment, enjoying the feel of the other in the cool night air, the smell of charred wood, hanging heavily over them.

"Gross."

"Look, Quinn, don't be mad cause my girlfriend is mad fine." Smiled Santana.

"Excuse me? How rude!" Rachel said, stomping her foot a little.

Brittany grinned, and opened up, putting one arm around Santana, and the other around Rachel.

"She's kidding of course. My girlfriend has got her girlfriend beat by a mile."

Rachel laughed and returned Brittany's embrace. She then grabbed Santana, pulling her in close. "I was really worried about you."

"Me too. About you, I mean. I'm glad you're okay, Rachel."

"And I'm glad you're okay, Santana. Though, honestly, you should probably consider going to the hospital. You got quite a thrashing back there, and you might need a tetanus shot. A lot of that structure looked like it had the first stages of rust, and I don't know if you know anything about lockjaw, but-"

"And now I regret starting this conversation." Santana hugged Rachel even tighter, covering her mouth until Rachel shook it off.

They all laughed, and Quinn found herself caught up in an embrace of her own.

"I knew you had it in you, Quinn. Thank you." Brittany covered her face in kisses, and Quinn rolled her eyes, looking away.

"Yeah, well, it was pretty shitty of me to let her lie about you in the first place. I had to make it right."

"I knew I could count on you. You're pretty much my best friend. I love you."

"I love you too, Britt." She returned a kiss to Brittany's nose, and looked to Santana. "Good call on the jacket, Lopez, by the way."

"What?"

"The blue. What, you didn't know? That's hilarious."

Brittany frowned, scrunching her brows together. "What about it?"

"Sue. Her color, you know? It's blue. That's why should was having such a hard time getting Santana from on top of her back there. I thought you knew. I thought that's why she wore it."

Santana shrugged. "Nope. I wore it… I actually wore it because it reminds me of Britt."

"Then I would say it's your good luck charm."

Brittany put her arm back around Santana, letting Quinn grab Rachel. "I would definitely agree with that."

Santana frowned. "Are you okay, Quinn? Sue got you pretty good. You were bleeding everywhere."

"Yeah, somebody helped me out with that."

Rachel smiled, pulling down her collar and exposing the two pin pricks on her neck.

"We thought it would be faster, you know…"

"Be careful with that, Quinn. You don't want to get addicted." Brittany laughed, nudging Quinn with her shoulder.

"You know what? I'm thinking I might be off the stuff. I only kept it up because I thought that I needed… I dunno. I thought it would make me stronger. But it's made me weaker in a lot of ways. I don't want to go down that path anymore."

"Good." Brittany said.

They stood for a moment together, relishing the silence before Rachel cleared her throat.

"I guess it's time we went home, then. This evening has gotten me totally wiped out."

Rachel took a few steps away, but turned back when she noticed she was alone.

"You coming?" She held out her hand to Quinn.

"Oh, yeah. Um, yeah! I parked my car up the road a ways. We can walk and, um, get it." Quinn perked up immediately taking Rachel's hand and practically skipped down the driveway.

Brittany and Santana laughed as Brittany dug her keys out of her pocket.

"Milady, your chariot awaits." She said, bowing deeply to Santana, regardless of the pain that had settled to a dull throb in her side.

"Great, just what we need, more roommates." Mercedes said, falling in step beside them.

"Don't worry, Cedes, we'll try to keep it down."

"Oh, I'm not worried. This has already been way too much. We've decided we're going to have a shotgun wedding, and use the money we saved to take a week long vacation to Hawaii."

Santana laughed. "Mom is going to kill you."

"Yeah, well, we'll do something small in the backyard when we get back. But we need a place with some sun, and a lot of it. You two get your lady loving out of your system, and once we get back, we'll talk about moving into a bigger place."

"Okay, Aretha. A) Lady loving will never be out of our system, and B) How do you know that I still want to live with you and Lisa Rinna over there?"

Mercedes only giggled, hugging Santana, then Brittany, and taking Sam's hand as she climbed into Artie's van.

"How about waffles?." Said Sam, climbing in after her.

Everyone murmured their agreement, and Brittany suggested a place with the best rainbow sprinkled ones.

The rest of the group loaded up, and Artie pulled out of the driveway, leaving Santana and Brittany alone. They walked hand and hand for a moment, in the direction of Brittany's bike. It was silent for a few moments, before Santana spoke up.

"You could do that if you wanted. To help with your injuries."

"What? Bite you? I don't think so."

"Because you don't want to turn me? Rachel hasn't turned and Quinn has bitten her twice already."

"It takes more than just the bite, Santana, and that's not it."

"I'm not going to bug you about it, I promise. I just feel like I'm closer than ever to finding out about my mom and everything-"

Brittany turned to Santana, pulling in her for a kiss. It was a deep kiss that left Santana breathless and lightheaded. She smiled as they broke apart.

"What was that for?"

"Well, mostly cause I just wanted to kiss you, and a bit because I wanted you to shut up."

"Hey!"

"And I can't bite you Santana, because I know that once I get a taste of you, I can never get enough. That's something that I learned the hard way."

She leaned in, nipping at Santana's neck lightly, and reveled in the shivers that followed.

"Is that so?"

"Oh yeah."

Brittany's lips were on Santana's neck again, and it was all Santana could do to pull her mouth away.

"How about you and I skip the rainbow pancakes, and get some lady loving out of our system before Mercedes and Sam get back?"

"Now that sounds like a plan." Brittany purred.

They held hands and continued up the drive.

"Do you know how crazy you make me, Britt."

"I've got some idea San, but I'm looking forward to taking forever to find out."


	17. The Thing About Epilogues

Hey all! Thanks so much for reading my story. The Thing About Forever is just a special story to me, and you all have claimed it as your own and I really appreciate that. The questions have been all over the place as far as theories to some of the mysteries of the universe. Some of the questions are left unanswered on purpose. Some are might be discussed at a later date. But in the meantime enjoy this little peek into life at the Sue Incident. I love reading your reviews, and join me on Tumblr for more stuff from this 'Verse and my next story that I will be posting here and on Tumblr. Thanks for reading!

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"Is everything ready?" Brittany whispered from behind the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, just be quiet!" Santana hissed back.

"They're not here yet, San. I would have heard them. I'm not even sure why we're whispering."

"Because it's supposed to be a surprise. I haven't seen my sister in almost two months, Britt. This is the longest I've gone without her in I don't know how long, and I just want it to be special."

Brittany peeked her head over the couch, and made concerned noises in Santana's direction.

"I'm sorry, babe. It's okay, they're on their way back now, Mercedes said so when she called."

"I know, but still…"

"Can we just get an ETA on how much longer we're going to be crouching down behind these chairs?"

"Can it, Fabray." Santana muttered. "Nobody told you that you had to come."

Rachel sputtered for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "Excuse me, Santana? You invited me, and if you invite me, you invite her. I certainly wouldn't consider inviting Brittany to something and not inviting you. You're a package deal, and I would hope that you would finally recognize our relationship in a real and serious way-"

"Actually, Hobbit, I invited Artie and Jane, and since we were at a production meeting, and you were there, I felt socially obligated to invite you."

Rachel huffed, and Santana could hear murmuring from the other side of the couch.

"I'm going to ignore that, Santana, because Quinn is telling me that you don't really mean it and are just lashing out because you're feeling vulnerable at the moment, considering the amount of time that Mercedes has been away. The very fact that you did invite me goes to show how much you value my presence, and I will take that as evidence of your true feelings for me. Not your hurtful, hurtful words."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Can we at least stand up for a while? It's really cramped down here, and I'm kind of sitting in Artie's lap."

Santana popped her head up from around a corner. "No, Sugar, we have to be in position because once they get here-"

"Shhh! I can hear them coming." Brittany whispered.

"Are you sure?" Santana asked, shrinking back down towards the ground.

Brittany only gave her an incredulous look, and crouched lower behind the couch. Santana grunted, reached up and switched off the light.

A few moments later, the key turned in the lock, and Mercedes and Sam shuffled in, arms full of bags and luggage. They dropped it all with a thump.

"Hello? I thought they said they were going to be here." Mercedes said, flipping on the light switch, and turning to help Sam unload this bags.

"You should be a bit louder, hon. If we stumble onto them, and they don't know we're coming things might get a bit hairy. It'll be like that time we came in and they were going at it on the counter-"

"Surprise!" Santana yelled, cutting Sam off, and shooting out from the bedroom hallway.

The rest of the group, were a little behind, but caught on right away, all emerging from their hiding spots to join Santana in her greeting.

The apartment had been decorated with balloons and streamers, and a big banner that said 'CONGRATULATIONS'. Mercedes and Sam had gotten married before they left for Hawaii (Brittany and Santana had been their witnesses), but this was the first party they'd had as a married couple, and Santana wanted to make it special.

Mercedes yelped, and jumped back towards Sam, who wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Probably not the best idea to be waiting in a darkened room to yell at us after all we've been through over the last couple of months, San." Mercedes sighed, disengaging herself from Sam, and walking over to her sister, enveloping her in a hug.

"Yeah, but you were totally surprised though, so I consider that a win." Santana said, holding onto Mercedes tightly, and giggling like a maniac.

Mercedes returned a wry smile and slapped Santana's arm. "You jerk."

"Whatever, you love me."

Everyone stood up from their hiding places, and made their way to the kitchen, where Santana had set up some snacks.

Sam took a look around the room. "Whoa, everybody's here! What's up, Artie, Jane! Hey Rachel, Quinn. Where are Blaine and Kurt? They hiding back there somewhere?"

"Nah." Said Santana, chewing on a piece of celery. "Sugar grabbed the artifact before it was totally destroyed. We figured it was better that we keep an eye on it, than someone else getting their hands on it. And who best to hide it than Tweedledum and Tweedledumber?"

"What Santana means is that Will proved his worth that night at Sue's, and he and Blaine are working together now, so we let them handle disposing of it."

"I said what I mean, Wheels."

Artie held up his hands in mock surrender.

"And Kurt went with, huh? He's really smitten with Blaine, I guess?" Said Sam.

Artie pushed himself over to the snack table, and grabbed a handful of peanuts. "Yeah, they're pretty inseparable. It's kind of cute."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to see it everyday. It's pretty gross if you ask me." Quinn mumbled, pulling Rachel more fully into her lap.

"Says the woman who can't go five minutes without seeing her girlfriend. Look, Quinn, I know Rachel, I've known her for a long time. She's not that great." Santana said, rolling her eyes.

"Watch it, Lopez. Nobody talks to my lady like that."

"Well, anyway, this was a lovely thought. The party, I mean. Thanks, Santana." Mercedes cut in, saving everyone from Santana's inevitably annoyed response. "So, wait, are you over there with Kurt full time now, Quinn? At April's?"

"Well…" Quinn started.

"She's the leader of their clan now!" Rachel broke in excitedly.

"Really? What about April?" Sam said, his mouth full of chips.

"It's not that we didn't appreciate April's offer. It's just that we'd been on our own for so long, we were finding it hard to integrate. We decided that we would break off on our own, and, well, they decided that I should be leader."

"I told you, didn't I, sweetie? I told you, you had it in you all along. And you didn't even need to worry about who had what vampire blood. She's almost all the way off blood lately, actually. She's down to once a week, if that. Though, she managed to save enough of Sue's historical blood that we can still do duets while I sing and she plays Mozart or Beethoven. It's amazing."

"It's not that big of a deal, Rachel." Quinn said, bashfully.

"It is! You're doing what you've always wanted to, and I'm so proud of you!"

Rachel leaned in and kissed Quinn, falling more fully into her lap.

"Sugar bankrolled the whole deal, though any of us have enough cash to rebuild everything. We had the land, so we started construction a few weeks ago. We're staying in a penthouse in the city until it's finished. It might be six months or so, though Sugar has definitely not been shy about throwing money at it." Brittany explained.

"Well, I just want to make sure it's done right. Since I'm kind of the one that burnt the last one down." Sugar said, hopping back into Artie's lap.

"Well, that's good for you, Quinn. Really good." Mercedes said, smiling.

The party was in full swing now, and people grouped off on their own, some dancing to the music that Jane played through her iPod, some munching on snacks; Brittany and Santana joined Mercedes in a nearby corner, catching her up on the things she'd missed while she was on her extended honeymoon.

"So, Santana…" Mercedes started, fiddling with the lip of her plastic cup.

Santana perked up. She'd had one too many cocktails, and was a cuddly drunk, hanging off of Brittany's back with one arm draped around her girlfriend.

"What's up, Mercedes?"

"Have you decided what to do about your mom? I mean, what you remember about her?" Mercedes spoke haltingly, as if she were afraid of scaring Santana away from the subject.

Santana sobered up a bit, playing with Brittany's hair, and pulling herself a bit more completely onto her back.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I dunno. I mean, I know that she was in that house that night. I know that she felt that she couldn't leave… But, beyond that. I can't be sure."

"From what I could tell, it's possible she was being used as a thrall. For feeding, I mean." Brittany gave a sideways glance to Santana. Seeing she was okay with the subject matter, she continued. "But we can't really make heads or tails about what she said about the blood. I've been around Santana enough to know that she doesn't have vampire blood. There's a certain aroma to it; a feeling, and she just doesn't have it. So, I don't really know what it means."

"If she wasn't a thrall that meant she joined them willingly, and felt that she had to stay. Even if it meant never seeing me again."

Mercedes reached out a hand, squeezing Santana's forearm. "I'm sure that if she could have gone with you that night, she would have."

"Yeah, maybe."

Mercedes reached for Santana, lifting her chin so she could meet her eyes. "I mean it, San. Look at the people that you've got around you. Look at how much they love and care about you. You're worth every bit of it, and your mother knew that."

Santana gave her a sad smile, and turned away, sliding off of Brittany's back, and moving towards the bar.

"I'm going to make another drink. Either of you want one?"

Brittany smiled brightly and nodded. "Another Santana special, if you please."

"I'm good, Santana." Mercedes waved her off.

When she was out of earshot, Mercedes leaned in close to Brittany.

"Do you buy it, Britt? Do you think that Julieta is still out there somewhere?"

"Honestly? I don't know, Mercedes. And I told Santana the same thing. But it's up to her to try and find out. It's up to her to want to know enough to try and discover the truth."

Mercedes gave Brittany a sideways glance. "Who do you think you're talking to? I know good and well that you didn't just leave it at that. If there's something to be found, you're looking for it. I know you won't rest until you find out what happened that night. For Santana's sake."

"Well, sure, I've asked around. But nothing serious. I don't want Santana to think I'm going against what she wants." Brittany stared down at her toes.

"Fair enough. But just keep in mind that if you go down that road. You might find out something that you'd sooner not know."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."

Santana bounded back over, almost spilling her nearly overflowing drink on Brittany, who caught it in a flash, and steadied it.

"Britt, I figured since we're both drinking Santana specials, I'd just make one big one, and we could share it."

"Smart girl." Brittany said, setting down the drink and kissing Santana delicately on the cheek. "How about we tell Mercedes about our travel plan?"

"Aw, Britt, she just got back in town, I don't want to bum her out already, and talk about leaving."

"No, this'll be fun. Plus, she and Sam will appreciate having the apartment to themselves for a month or so."

"As much as I'd like to agree with you Brittany, Santana is right. I have been hoping to have some quality sister time, you two are planning a trip?"

Santana looked at the ground. "Well, yeah… Sugar felt so bad about everything that happened with Sue, she's sending us on a vacation."

"Where?"

"I told her I'd always wanted to go to Asia, and we were off. It was a bit tricky getting Britt over the border, but we figured it out. At least, Sugar figured it out."

"We're taking a private plane to Ottawa!" Brittany added, excitedly.

"But we'll be here a bit longer. You know, to hang out and stuff."

Mercedes put her hand on Santana's arm. "I'm going to miss you, Satan, but I'm glad you're getting to travel. I know you've always wanted to do that."

"It's not all play. We're going to do some remotes from the Great Wall, some caverns in Tibet, and a whole series in Thailand."

"Wait, so, that means you're going to be doing a trans-Pacific flight with Rachel? You know that trip is like fifteen hours, Santana."

Santana blinked slowly a few times, as if trying to process this new information. Brittany and Mercedes could almost see the light bulb going off in her head as she connected the dots.

"Oh, no. No no no no. Nope, not going to work. Sugar! Sugar!" Santana grabbed the cup out of Brittany's hand and stumbled off in Sugar's direction.

"Aw 'Cedes. I dunno why you did that. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to get to help with SLINN. That means I'm on the production crew! I'll get a t shirt!"

Mercedes laughed, putting an arm around Brittany pulling her in tight. "I'm really going to miss you two. I'm glad we'll have some time before you leave."

"How boring would it be without us, Mercedes?"

"Unbearable." Mercedes answered laughing.

\

The crowds were huge.

Santana had expected it on their tour of Asia, but she wasn't sure exactly what she'd been getting herself into. They had finally bailed on the rest of the group, and it was just her and Brittany, holding hands, traipsing through Beijing while Brittany served as her impromptu tour guide. It didn't hurt that she spoke fluent Mandarin Chinese.

"I thought you weren't good with languages."

"Well…" Started Brittany bashfully. "Some languages. But, for a while Mike and I were travelling around Asia because he was sick of Europe and I picked some up."

"Some? Brittany you just talked with that Granny for like ten minutes."

"I know, San, but did you see her grandson? He was so cute! I just wanted to pinch his little cheeks forever! And I think he liked me."

"Well, it seemed like it. I was worried, a few more minutes and I would have had to lay my claim."

"He _was_ making eyes at me."

"Right? I didn't want to have to fight a kid. Though I totally would have."

"Don't worry babe, I only have eyes for you."

Brittany pulled Santana towards her, and wrapped her arms around, not mindful of the crowds that milled around them. Most of them didn't notice, but the few who did didn't have time to stop, the lines pushing them forward.

Santana melted into Brittany's arms. She had a way about her. It made people get out of their way when they walked down the street and it made the crowds now part around them like a river. Santana pressed her face into Brittany's shoulder.

"Well, I'm flattered."

"Mmmhhmm." Brittany murmured, pressing a kiss onto the top of Santana's head.

Santana lingered for a few moments before taking Brittany's hand again and turning back towards their destination.

"We only have a little while longer before Rachel has decreed we have to be back at the Forbidden City for the live broadcast tonight."

"Fine." Brittany whined, letting Santana pull away from her.

Suddenly a dark shadow caught her eye, she turned towards an alley to look but it was gone.

"What is it, Santana?" Brittany asked, stepping forward and blocking the way with a shoulder.

Santana shook her head. "I thought I saw… I don't know, I just thought I saw something. It's okay Britt, nevermind."

She touched Brittany's arm, smiling brightly and turned away, walking quickly. Brittany spared a glance backward and nodded softly, following Santana into the crowds.

The dark figure followed them for a few more blocks before turning off and heading down a back alley. That had been close.

Too close.

There would come a time to confront them, but it had just been a coincidence that she had run into them on that busy street. Good thing she had turned down the alley before Santana caught sight of her. She smiled grimly to herself. Yes, that time would come, but now was not it. She lifted the collar on her jacket and took another turn, moving so fast she was barely a blur to anyone who might have been standing by.

Until then she would feed. It was about time she headed back to the States. She had a reunion to attend.


End file.
